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[itstheghostofmypast]

Kiss, Kiss, Fall In Love

Non-Idol Choi San x (F)Reader

Summary: Just a babygurl trying to show her bigboy her love.

Genre: Fluff

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1.7

Est.Read Time: 8 min

Networks: @cromernet @k-labels @illusionnet

Banner: @cafekitsune

A/N: Idk...I just had to, okay. I don't even know what this is. This song didn't even inspire the fic- but THANKS TO @edenesth I HAVE UNLOCKED A CORE MEMORY AND WHILE WRITING THIS NONSENSE I WAS LIKE- WAIT, THIS MATCHES THE VIBE

“What did we learn?” She asked, turning off the extra lights, leaving the little lamp on, turning to admire the way it complimented the bronze skin of his broad shirtless back, the faint droplets of sweat trailing down the curve of his spine- man, her man was a treat.

“That you're a bad spotter?” He groaned, tossing the shirt aside before kicking off his sweatpants and flopping down on the bed with a strange sound- well he was in pain so that's what we'll call it. Blinking at the ceiling he tried to imagine he wasn't in pain, but truth be told he had done this to himself, she did tell him it was too much weight and she did tell him not to remove his shirt since he was all sweaty and he'd get cramps. His girl would always be right, especially when it came to his well-being, he should give her a bit more credit for that-

“Next time, don’t act like a man-child and just listen to me.”

His eyes snapped open at the statement, turning his head to glare at her-

His girl was rude and annoying

And like hell he'd ever admit any of those nice things about her to her now.

“Now turn over,” she mumbled, tossing her bag on the other side of the bed, after taking something out of it, “The oil will help relieve the tension.” Showing him the oil she gestured for him to get on his belly so she could help him out.

His girl really was an angel.

With a quick pouty smile, he mumbled a thank you and turned to his side all excited and giddy, laying on his belly, arms extended, almost resembling a star. His form occupied most of the bed as he lay in the middle, the sheets crumpled up under him.

“Man, look at that cake.” She hummed, earning a giggle from him as she sat on his lower back, making sure to not put a lot of body weight or pressure, “Is there a reason why we discarded the pants, hmm?”

“Technically, I had to go shower….”

“Technically you were on your bed all sweaty,” Mumbling back she poured a generous amount of oil in her palm before flicking the cap close and tossing it aside, “And last I checked, you don't do that.”

“Gotta change the sheets anyway,” a sigh escaped him when he felt her hands on him, feeling her palms press onto his shoulders, applying the right amount of pressure before trailing down his back, “God…I love you.”

“You better, people pay money for this, you know?” With a joke she sighed, feeling his tense muscles under her fingertips, gently trying to massage out the knots the idiot had graciously created as soon as he realised taking his shirt off in an air-conditioned gym was smart, “I complained to the management about the AC but they said it was at a moderate temperature…I think we were sitting under a duct…” 

“Mhmm…” with a small hum he closed his eyes, a quick nap before he hit the shower wouldn't be a bad thing. So, the last thing he thought of before falling asleep was how he'd have to change the sheets after this, followed by a whispered, “Thank you.”

A small smile graced her lips as she felt him go lax under his touch, relishing the way he felt so safe and loved by her. Her heart fluttered at his little thank you, even though he didn't need to thank her. Especially when she was glad he was in pain right now, don't get her wrong, she hated how he was hurting, but she hated those hoes at the gym even more. From the moment he had taken off his shirt to check on his progress, their eyes were glued to him, hell, they didn't even look away when he had turned to look at her, flexing his arms at her, earning a giggle from her- HE WAS CLEARLY TAKEN.

That's exactly why she had asked him to put his shirt back on, people had no shame these days. The irony lay in the fact that her handsome man was dumb as hell, he had no idea that a group of girls, who usually never came this late to the gym, had been eying him like a bunch of rabid dogs. Initially she thought he had figured out, she had assumed he was either enjoying it or using it to make her jealous, which made her blood boil, and perhaps increased her strength momentarily, for the way he had called her out with a breathy “Babe…” had her glance down at him, shocked to see him admiring her, staring up at her in awe as he continued, “That’s some weight you're lifting…I think you're better than Jongho at this point.”

She had smiled at his compliment, a sense of relief coursing through her veins at the realisation that he had eyes only for her, but that didn't last long, as soon as she heard them giggle, she had gotten distracted and let go of the weight, leaving him struggling to lift it up, trying to ignore the burning in his spasming muscles. Yeah…that’s probably what caused the issue of the day. 

With a sigh she leaned back, admiring his sleeping form, shaking her head at the snoring man, clueless to what he'd do to her, how he'd make her burn green with jealousy. Usually when they'd go the gym would be empty, or rather the moment they'd enter the gym those girls would be leaving, at least that's how it was for almost a month. Moreover, Mingi and Jongho would accompany them, but since both of them had work tonight they couldn't come, but why is it that those little hyenas somehow changed their routine? Hmmm?

She placed her hands flat on the small of his back and thought about it, irritated by how she couldn't get them out of her head, irritated by how her idiot of a man was clueless to all this, irritated by the fact that they clearly knew he was in a relationship and if wearing booty shorts or sports bras was a way to get him to look at them- then she really had a problem with them.

She needed to tell them he was her’s, with that thought she pulled on the strap of her purse, pulling it closer and taking something out as she smiled at the sleeping man before eying his shoulder blades, “Good enough.”

.

“Sannie~ wake up…go shower…the water’s warm,” shaking him awake she gently patted his arm, moving so he could sit up properly. She smiled at her sleepy, clueless boy who pouted at her with droopy eyes, “Go, I'll change the sheets…gonna stay over tonight.” With a quick soft kiss, she pulled him up and patted his arm, “Hurry up, you gotta drop me home before going to work tomorrow.” With that she watched him stumble out of the room, mumbling some nonsense about ‘never letting her go’ followed by an ‘I think I need to retire’, though all she could focus on was the pretty art piece on his back, between his shoulder blades, till the middle of his spine, oh she did some good work.

With a sigh he walked out of the shower, a towel hanging low on his hips as he hummed a tune, closing the door behind him as he walked down the hall, only to stop at his bedroom door, slightly opening the door to peek into the cold dark room, the small night light illuminating the bundled up figure on his side of the bed, as a smile graced his features, his little princess worked so hard, she’d go to work, help him at the gym, take care of him- she deserved the world. Right now, however, he had to tend to his growling stomach, demanding his attention. The gentle ‘ding’ of the washing machine caught his ear, as he opened the fridge, oh so she washed the sheets too, huh?

“What’s that?” He turned to look at his flatmate, who was placing his bag on the small table, “On your back dude.”

“What is it?” San asked, walking over to the counter as he placed the almond milk carton on the counter, reaching for the cupboard to take out a glass, “Is it a scratch? I took my shirt off today at the gym, maybe- oh shit, it’s not a rash is it?” panicking he craned his neck back, assuming that he’d magically be able to see his back.

“Ohh…no, no, I think it’s a case of jealousy.” Mingi mused, taking out his phone and striding over to the man in the towel, “Though I’m impressed at the craftsmanship, that’s some detailing.” With that he pushed San to face the counter, telling him to hold still before an audible snap was heard.

San felt his eyes bulge out at the sight, a giant heart made out of little kisses- did she use some kind of permanent tint? How did this not wash off?

“Man, didn’t know girls could be this territorial.” Mingi snorted before opening the fridge, “How did you not know what she was doing?” Taking out last night’s leftovers he sat down on the opposite chair, staring at the man who had been staring at the picture, a pink hue tinting his cheek, almost as dark as the red kiss marks on his back.

“I was asleep…” he whispered, before looking up at Mingi with an unfamiliar fire in his eyes, “I’m never gonna wear a shirt again.”

Mingi only shook his head in disbelief, munching on his pizza slice as he looked at the man who was now sending himself the picture, before he joked, “Just, make sure to wear one for work tomorrow, Sannie.” He glanced at the man who tossed the phone back to him and shook his head, too delusional and high on endorphins right now to care as he giggled, “You’re just jealous you don’t get a girl who loves you,” turning around he showed him his back, pointing at his back with his  thumbs, “this much.”

With that he ran back to his room, ready to wake up his lover, ready to beg her to use the lip tint to decorate his lips, his face, wherever she wanted- only this time, he’d be awake enough to feel her love.

Taglist: @edenesth @skteezcursed @mlysalt @the-kpop-simp @spooo00oky @bunnyluvr25 @s-h-y-a @ateezswonderland

[peachesyeo]

8/9... 8/8 - ATEEZ OT8 part two

THIS IMAGINE IS MATURE! MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!

⊹ 1.6k words ⊹ friends!ateez x fem!reader (ft. straykids) ᭡ angst, mature. (+ fluff brought to you by straykids)

✧ a/n: i didn't expect so many people to like this work???? i wrote it in a span of two hours because i was feeling super depressed and wow, you guys gave me a huge surprise! thank you..? anyway, there won't be a part three. if you guys are inspired feel free to extend the lore and universe (:

p.s. the 1117 series will be rewritten!!!!!!!

thank you @sousydive for beta reading. thank you @ja3hwa for the banner (I LOVE YOU AS MUCH AS MY BLOOD VESSELS)

⊂ content: name calling, broken friendship. probably the start of a universe.

✦ network: @newworldnet

:̗̀➛ 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭? :̗̀➛ 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞? :̗̀➛ 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭? (for all works)

those who asked to be tagged: @vixensss @anxiousskylar @spenceatiny18 @kitkat1sstuff

The stormy clouds gathered, hiding the golden rays of the sun. You had run a distance away from the cafe, from Jongho, and you stopped, panting. 

A slut. You laughed, a shrill sound escaping your throat as thunder clapped overhead. 

You have been bearing that name anyway. From high school, to university. People assumed that you were the boy’s personal whore, being close to them and all. All kinds of nicknames were thrown in your direction. 

Whore. Slut. Used. Dirty. A common bus.

The boys didn’t know. They didn’t know that the girls would laugh at you while you were using the restroom. They didn’t know that men have come up to you, asking you how much you charge per night. They didn’t know the looks you received when the boys weren't looking.

You let out a sound between a sob and a laugh. 

Something wet hit you. Once. Twice. Droplets of rain fell, mixing in with the tears that were rolling down your face. Your tracksuit slowly turned wet, as you made your way home in a daze.

Eight years. 

You love the boys like your brothers. For eight years. To you, they are family. 

“Y/n!”

Someone pulled you by the arm. You turned around to see a worried Felix, who dragged you with him. He pulled you to the nearest shelter, where Bang Chan and Jisung stood waiting. 

“Y/n? Are you okay?” Jisung asked, as Felix fussed over you. Bang Chan was calling someone on his phone, sounding anxious. You nodded your head in a daze, your fingers gripping on Felix’s sleeve like you were holding on to your lifeline. 

“Wanna go home, Lixie.” Your voice was small. You stared ahead of you without any focus in your eyes. Jisung rubbed your shoulders, trying to warm you up. “Hey, Y/n, you here with me?”

You slowly looked over at Jisung. “Sungie..?” You whispered the nickname they had allowed you to call after just one week of hanging out with them. “Yeah, I’m here, Y/n.” Jisung answered carefully, his heart breaking at the sight of the tears in your eyes.

Felix sighed, pulling you into his arms. He doesn’t seem to care about his shirt getting wet, patting you gently as he speaks. “It’s okay to cry, Y/n.”

You leaned into his arms, your shoulders shaking as you sobbed quietly. Chan approached the three of you, his voice gentle. “Y/nnie, is it okay if we bring you home?” You got out of Felix’s embrace, nodding as you wiped your eyes. “Y-yeah. Thank you.”

Minho was fussing over you like a mother hen. 

“Absolutely not, Y/n. Yongbokkie and I will manage the kitchen, Bin will stay here and take care of you - and where is Hwang Hyunjin?” He barked. You giggled as Jisung pulled a face behind his back, while Changbin dried your hair with a towel. 

Felix appeared, holding a cup of tea. “Ginger tea, Y/nnie. Keeps you warm.” You accept the tea gratefully from him, taking a huge sip. “Thanks, Lixie.”

“No problem.” He smiled, heading back towards the kitchen. Hyunjun appeared with snacks, scowling at Minho as he placed them in front of you. “Don’t need to rush me, Mother.” Minho rolled his eyes, shahaying back into the kitchen. Changbin snorted, patting your almost dried hair. “Just stay here and eat snacks with Jinnie, Jisung and the two idiots there, Y/n. Don’t worry about anything, you need comfort and cuddles now.”

“Only one idiot here and it’s not me, hyung. But Jongho is such a bitch for saying that.” On the other couch, Seungmin commented, ignoring Jeongin’s glare and reached for the snacks in front of you. Your smile faltered as Jisung smacked Seungmin’s hands. “Minnie!”

“What?” Seungmin scowled at the older man, rubbing his arm. “I was just telling the truth, Y/n needs to know how fake they are anyways.” He grabbed the snack with his other hand as you shifted uncomfortably in your seat. Changbin rubbed your shoulders comfortingly. “Do you want to hear about this, Y/n?”

You bit your lip. “I.. don’t know, Binnie. They’ve been my friends - my only friends, for a long time. I just thought… If they had a problem with me, they should have told me sooner. I can change!” You gripped the cup tightly in your hands. “It just hurts. We are adults, but-”

“Hey, Y/nnie. Look at me.” Hyunjin put his palms on your cheeks, gently turning you to face him. “I know how you are feeling, Y/n. But it’s okay. You have us now.” He said slowly, as you blink the tears away. “We’ll be here for you, Y/n.”

Jisung sighed loudly. Suddenly, he felt something vibrating. Frowning, he felt around the couch, finally fishing out your phone from under a pillow. Checking to see if you were paying attention, Jisung discreetly slipped the phone into his back pocket. He signaled Changbin, who nodded and gave a meaningful look to Hyunjin. The younger cleared his throat, patting your hair. “You wanna see something fun? We have an album full of Innie’s ugly photos.”

While the youngest protested loudly, Jisung took the chance to sneak into the kitchen. Minho, who was busy over the stove, looked up at him lazily. “What is it?”

Jisung snorted at your phone screen. “Trouble.” He said, answering the call. 

“Hello? Y/nnie? Are you okay?” The caller rattled at lightning speed, not even giving Jisung a chance to speak. “Look, I heard about Jongho, he didn’t mean it. He’s feeling bad about it too, Y/nnie.” 

“She’s not here, you idiot.” Jisung leaned against the countertop, looking at his nails. The person on the other line paused, his voice lowering a few octaves. “Who are you?”

“Han Jisung. To think I’ll ever hear your voice again, Kang Yeosang.”

“Is Y/n with you?”

“Why do you care? Aren’t you guys tired of her?” Felix turned, looking at Jisung, who had a dark look on his face. “She was supposed to be our friend anyways, if Jung Wooyoung hadn’t been so thick-skinned and took credit for Jinnie’s work, Y/n would have been with us eight years ago.”

“...”

“Cat got your tongue?” Jisung raised a brow, as silence filled Yeosang’s line. “Y/n’s not a toy, Kang Yeosang. If you guys don't treasure her, we will."

“What did she say?” Mingi asked eagerly as Yeosang put down his phone. The older man looked towards Jongho, who was sitting in the middle of the couch with a distant expression. “She should be angry, Jongho said those words after all-”

“She didn’t answer. Han Jisung did.” Yeosang’s voice was small. Wooyoung, who had been really quiet after hearing Jongho’s story, stood up and left the room. San frowned in worry, following after the younger as Yeosang continued. “I think they are taking care of her.”

Silence. 

“I’ll go ask her at work.” Hongjoong decided eventually. “Let’s just give her some time and space… We were in the wrong after all.” 

Yeosang knew that that was the end of the conversation about Y/n. He looked towards Seonghwa, who was furiously typing away on his phone. He then lowered his eyes, a ridiculous feeling spreading over him. 

You’re one of them, Kang Yeosang. Too late for you to be regretting. 

Hwa Oppa: Y/nnie?

Hwa Oppa: Are you there?

Hwa Oppa: Look, I’m really sorry about this. Hwa Oppa: Can we talk? Hwa Oppa: Please reply to me if you saw this message, Y/nnie. ASAP.

The notifications had been coming in for hours. You ignored them, enjoying your time chatting with Jisung and Hyunjin. The boys made you stay for lunch and dinner, and when Bang Chan sent you home, you finally read the messages from Seonghwa. 

Your finger hovered over the screen hesitantly. Jongho must have told Seonghwa what happened, there were a couple of missed calls from Yeosang, Yunho and Hongjoong, a long message from Mingi and San sending you gifs to see if you would reply. There was nothing from Wooyoung, but for some reason, you didn’t feel angry. 

Nor were you sad. 

It was as if, it does not matter to you anymore. 

They do not matter to you anymore.

You: Hey Seonghwa oppa, sorry that I was busy. 

Hwa Oppa: It’s alright. Could we call? Talk? Or would you prefer texting?

You: Sure.

Seonghwa cleared his throat as he tapped the dial button. A few rings later, you picked up. He licked his lips dryly. “Y/nnie?” 

“Hey.” Your voice seemed lighter compared to his. Seonghwa gripped his phone tightly. “How are you?”

“Funny you asked about that, Seonghwa oppa.” Your voice was no longer the affectionate one Seonghwa was used to. In fact, it was one you used to speak with acquaintances. “It does not matter to you, does it?”

“I’m sorry-” “On behalf of Jongho? It’s clear to me that he had that thought in him long ago, Seonghwa. Throughout highschool, I’ve been called a whore for hanging out with you guys. Seems like I am really one to you, huh?”

Seonghwa couldn’t speak. Silence hung between the both of you, until he broke it in a small voice. 

“I never thought of you that way, I swear, Y/n.”

“And I don’t think I can face any of you after this, Seonghwa.” 

“But you have to listen to me, Lee Minho and his friends are-” “And why does it matter to you, Seonghwa? That is my problem now. Don’t you hate it when I complain to you about my worries? Didn’t you think it was annoying?” You shot back, your voice turning agitated. “So stop pretending you’re caring, Seonghwa.”

Seonghwa wants to cry. He didn’t mean to say what he did, he blames it on the alcohol he had. He did feel annoyed when you were complaining to him and all, but he never saw you as a whore nor a slut.

“And the others too. I won’t reply to them, tell Hongjoong not to bother me at work if he doesn’t want me to quit.” 

The line went silent. 

Outside the door, Wooyoung lowered his head. A smirk crawled to his lips as he tiptoed away back to his room. Once the door closed behind him, he fished out his phone, hands on his lips to muffle his laughter. 

On the screen, another Wooyoung was banging on the white walls, screaming for help. Wooyoung watched him for a while, before switching his phone off. His eyes flashed red, as he spoke to no one in particular. 

“Stage one, completed.”

➳ pernament taglist: @sousydive @yeodeulz @oddracha @jaerisdiction @yukichan67 @evidive @onysmamas

spoiler alert: start of a new strayteez universe?

[haydenigmatic]

Members of House Lavone 🦁

House Lavone. The very name resonates with the weight of centuries, a dynasty built upon the bedrock of shrewd commerce and formidable power. From their ancestral seat within the bustling city that stands as the realm's second heart, their influence stretches like the intricate threads of the famed Goudenvel silk they command. Their coffers, fed by the ceaseless bounty of their gold and silver mines and the steady flow through the vaults of the Eight Kingdoms' largest bank, are the envy of nobles and monarchs alike. And should diplomacy fail, the banners of House Lavone can call forth one of the most formidable armies in the realm. Theirs is a legacy etched in wealth and might, a testament to the enduring motto: "Worthy Deeds, Just Rewards."

The Duke of Peminster (Goudenvel) Lord Leander Lavone

FC: Jeremy Irons

Leaner is a shrewd and calculating politician, but with a genuine affection for his family. He is a master of diplomacy and intrigue, capable of wielding both charm and ruthlessness. He struggles to balance his loyalty to the crown with his responsibility to his house. He fears that might jeopardise his family's safety. He also is worried about the future of his heir, and if he has the skills to take over.

The Duchess, Lady Annelise Canbard

FC: Michelle Pfiffer

She's intelligent, compassionate, and fiercely protective of her children. She is a stabilising force in Leander's life, offering him counsel and emotional support. Came from a minor noble house, one that was heavily indebted to the Lavones. Her marriage to Leander was initially a way to settle those debts.

The Heir, Ser Damon Lavone

Damon grew up in the lap of luxury, surrounded by opulence and power. He was instilled with the belief that he was destined for greatness. He has always felt the pressure to live up to his father's reputation, leading to a constant need to prove himself. He has witnessed the fear that his father inspires, and mistaken fear for respect, leading to an over inflated ego. He is aware of the dark rumours surrounding his family's origins, and this both excites, and frightens him.

The Dutiful Child, Lady Odette Lavone

Lady Odette remains the epitome of beauty and grace, captivating the court. Her public image is carefully cultivated, and she is beloved by the populace for her perceived kindness. Her acts of kindness are driven by a sincere desire to alleviate suffering, and she often takes people at face value, believing their intentions are as pure as her own.

Commander Theron Lavone: The Steel Heart

Theron's loyalty to Leander is a complex mix. He respects Leander's strategic brilliance and acknowledges that Leander's control over the family's vast resources is essential for funding his military endeavours. There's also an element of fear; Theron has witnessed Leander's ruthlessness firsthand, not just in financial matters but in dealing with internal threats. He understands the consequences of crossing his elder brother. Ultimately, Theron sees their goals as aligned – the dominance of House Lavone – even if their methods differ. He believes a strong military, backed by Lavone gold, is the key to long-term power.

Lord Cassian Lavone: The Shadow Broker

While not holding a formal title beyond "Lord," Cassian effectively functions as the Master of Coin for House Lavone, overseeing the vast and intricate web of their financial holdings. However, his role extends beyond mere accounting. He is also the family's chief intelligence officer, using his network to gather information on rivals, anticipate market shifts, and uncover potential threats. He deals in secrets as much as he deals in gold, making him an indispensable, if shadowy, figure within the Lavone power structure.

[featseungmin]

as we are (part 1) || ksm

kim seungmin x female!reader

✦ Summary: Something bad is brewing just below the surface in Baldur’s Gate, and Seungmin is caught in its wake. On one side, his career: as the deputy harbormaster, it’s his job to know what’s coming in and out of the city, but as one of the Gate’s most well-connected smugglers, he’s even more inclined to find out who’s encroaching on his turf. On the other, you: his best friend since childhood and the city’s High Investigator. Can Seungmin keep his secrets–and you–safe? ✦ Genre & Tropes: dnd au, fantasy, bit of mystery, fluff, childhood friends to lovers, “he fell first, she fell harder” ✦ Word Count: 6,506 ✦ Warnings/Notes: smuggler!seungmin, rich boy!seungmin, investigator!reader, seungmin and reader are both highly skilled nepo babies, mention of reader being older than Seungmin, missing person ✦ Notes: shout out to @lovetaroandtaemin for beta-ing and listening to me complain about this entire au. major thanks to @eerieedits for the gorgeous banner

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

The gala is larger than Seungmin would have liked. The room is large, open, bright, with small orbs of light floating in clusters high above the ballroom floor. They look like stars. If it weren’t so hot in the room, he might honestly appreciate them more. People pack the ballroom, gathering around high tables or gliding around the dance floor. His father is… somewhere. Seungmin lost track of him when Lady Abraxi had flagged him down. His father had gone to speak with the woman. Seungmin had chased down a waiter carrying a tray of champagne flutes. 

These galas have been an unwanted staple in his life since childhood, a way for the Gate’s elite to rub elbows and look down their noses at both each other and the common folk of the city. His father has always found value in them. Seungmin, not so much.

Ever since he was old enough to hold a coherent conversation, Seungmin’s father had dragged him to these parties. Held several times a year, the location always rotates. Sometimes, they’ll be in one of the large public halls in the Outer City, where the truly elite of Baldur’s Gate call home. Others, they’ll be held in the large manses that dot the Steeps. Others still, like tonight, are held in the luxurious homes in Bloomridge, magically and artfully constructed right into the Gate’s architecture itself.

Seungmin understands networking. He’s always been interested in business, and he’s happy to make a contact if there’s any chance it could prove to be fruitful in the future. But these galas are not networking. They’ve been attended by the same people for the almost 20 years he’s been invited to accompany his father, and the guest list has only been getting shorter as the Gate’s well-off citizens and patriars age and die off. He’s been the youngest for several years now, ever since Rand Ilyria’s youngest daughter married and moved to Waterdeep. 

There’s a commotion near the entrance as the door opens, and he doesn’t even need to look to know who it is. 

He grabs two flutes of champagne and waits.

It doesn’t take long. He can practically hear the approach. An excited trill from some enthused lady or duchess, the sharp guffaw of her male companion. A few seconds of idle prattle. Rinse. Repeat. 

When the commotion gets close, he turns and watches, arms crossed loosely across his chest, a flute of champagne in each hand. He’s bored, not an idiot. Watching you work is honestly a little bit like watching a painter brush beauty to canvas.

You approach the next couple that flag you down, grasping the extended hand of Minerva Moriandre with both of yours and offering a curt bow. You’re just far enough away that he can’t hear, but your lips move, and Lady Moriandre laughs heartily. You shake the hand of her husband Marin, and the man claps you on the shoulder. Your eyes wander as you chat–a longstanding habit that almost everyone in this circle has gotten accustomed to. 

Very quickly, your eyes meet Seungmin’s. Subtly, you roll your eyes before nodding at whatever it is that Marin has said. You find these events just as exhausting as Seungmin does–maybe moreso–but you have the unfortunate position of having to pretend. 

When you finally manage to free yourself from the Moriandres, you pretend not to see the next lord trying to flag you down, making your way straight to Seungmin. Silently, he extends his arm, a glass of champagne still slightly chilled between his fingers. Your fingers wrap around the stem, skin brushing his own, and the familiar warmth travels up his arm.

“You’re doing the weird handshake thing again,” he says, voice flat, yet teasing. 

“I don’t do a weird handshake thing,” you chide, almost a hiss. 

The two of you begin to walk, threading your way through crowds. You blend in when you want to, despite the silver raven pinned to the left breast of your cloak and the fact that you’re still in uniform. The High Investigator has to know her surroundings, after all, and you and Seungmin learned long ago how to disappear within these types of crowds. You keep to the edges, to the shadows, moving leisurely yet with purpose. Turning your head toward him when it looks as though someone wants to flag you down. 

“You do,” he continues. He’s a menace. He knows he’s a menace. But he’s your menace, so he prods and pokes and makes fun like it’s his job. “You do this thing…” He takes your hand between his own and mimics how you shook the Moriandres’ hands.

You scoff and roll your eyes. “It’s an investigative tactic.”

“Yeah, okay.” 

Outside, the air is cool. There’s a slight breeze, but it hasn’t stopped the fog from settling deep in the streets. When he was younger, Seungmin had been afraid that monsters from the sea hid in the fog, waiting to eat him. Now, though, it’s pretty, the way it hangs heavily, its tendrils sticking to eaves and streetlamps, the lights twinkling as if they’re ghosts. 

The balcony you’re on stands two stories above the street. The building itself is partially contained within the Old Wall, with stairs that criss-cross up the wall to connect the Upper and Lower cities. The floating orbs continue out here, clustered around the potted plants. There’s a bench, and you collapse onto it with a heavy sigh, downing half of the champagne flute.

Carefully, Seungmin sits beside you. “Rough day?”

You hum in affirmation, leaning forward to rest your forearms on your knees. The soft cotton of your cloak falling around your shoulders, engulfing your arms so that only your hands are visible as you roll the stem of the champagne flute between your fingers. He’s intimately familiar with these bouts of thought that hit you. There’s a decent chance that you’ll be here for a while.He gets comfortable at your side, leaning back and draping an arm across the back of the bench.

It’s quiet on the balcony, the sounds of the gala muffled by the stone exterior walls. The two of you had discovered this balcony as pre-teens, and you’d been sneaking out of the Cambrig’s parties ever since. Back then, Seungmin’s father had hated that he spent the majority of his time with you. The two of you saw each other every day, he’d argued, why could Seungmin not spend a couple hours mingling with other people? These galas are not just for fun. They’re for building relationships! They’re for finding your future.

The fact that you’ve become the highest-ranked investigator in the Gate has somewhat changed his father’s mind. But only somewhat.

“I need you to be honest with me.”

Uh oh.

Suddenly, Seungmin’s stomach is somewhere near his ass. He likes to think that he can read you–at least, as well as anyone could–and that generally, he can follow when your thinking takes you to unexpected places. But this? He has no idea what could be coming next.

He nods silently, encouraging you to continue despite the fact that he’s not sure you can even see him.

You sigh, and tilt your head ever so slightly so that you can see him out of the corner of your eye. “If someone wanted to smuggle something into the city through Grey Harbor, how would they do it?”

He has to force himself to breathe normally. For the briefest of moments, he’s sure his face reveals something, because you turn to look at him better. But then he remembers to school his expression into something more neutral, a little bored, a little curious. 

“What do you mean?”

“Vax was looking into a murder in Eastway and discovered three felldrake eggs.”

“What?” Seungmin leans forward. His blood turns to ice, a chill runs down his spine. 

Felldrake eggs are highly regulated in Faerun. They’re importable, sure, but if you’re asking about them–if you’re asking about smuggling into Grey Harbor–then these ones are almost certainly contraband. And with that, comes the problem.

He had no idea about the eggs.

He’s not the one that smuggled them in.

“I need to see your records, Seungmin.” Your voice is soft, and for the briefest of moments, it’s almost like there’s conflict in your eyes. But then as quick as it came, it’s gone. Replaced by practiced, hardened steel. He’s never been on the receiving end of the High Investigator persona you’ve constructed. You’ve always just been you with him. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t sting a little, to see it come out now. 

“You think I did this.” It’s not a question.

“Right now, I don’t think anything.” He watches as you fiddle with the ring that circles your pinky. It was a gift from his father when you’d been promoted to High Investigator. The ring is dim now. The fact that you’re telling the truth is of little comfort. “But I need to see your registry, and I need to know how they’re getting in. The Harbor closes at night, right?”

He nods. “The Watch closes off the firth at dusk.”

“You’re sure?”

For a moment, he sputters. “I haven’t personally checked,” he allows, and immediately, he knows that’s the wrong thing to say. Your eyebrows shoot into your hairline, and you tilt your head, inviting him to continue. “What? Do you want to go see for yourself?”

“I do.” You hum. “And I think afterwards, I’d like to see your records.”

Seungmin downs the rest of his champagne and stands. “Alright.”

It’s the only logical answer. You’re stubborn–determined, you’d tell him–and, though he hasn’t ever seen it from this side, when you’re working a case, you’re insatiable. There’s a good chance that the only reason you even came to the gala tonight was to talk to him about this. You’d missed a few in the past because of work, so it’s not like you’re here out of any sort of obligation. Plus, his father always did say that Seungmin would walk off a bridge if you told him to. 

As he picks his way along the rocky bed of the River Chionthar to get a better view of the nighttime blockade and the chain that spans the length of the harbor, from Brampton all the way over to Seatower, he supposes there’s some truth to his father’s words. 

Seungmin watches you as you stare out across the water, gaze sharp, analytical. The icy wind rushes in over the harbor, your cloak billowing out behind you in the breeze. He doesn’t need to look to know what you’re watching. Three boats flying the colors of the City Watch float out in the mouth of the river, their portholes ablaze with light and searchlights scanning the surrounding waters. 

Minutes pass in agonized silence, you watching the water, Seungmin watching you. He’d like to pretend that he’s watching to make sure you don’t slip. The rocks along the river are slippery. The last thing he needs would be for the High Investigator to fall and break her neck. But that’s not why he’s watching you. Deep down, he knows you’ve got the poker face of a statue, but if there’s a chance that you let something slip, if there’s any possibility that he can tell when you’ve figured something out, he needs to take it. 

He’s always known that his friendship with you would get him in trouble. And if he’s honest, if it’s going to be anyone, he’d rather it be you. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to go down without a fight.

“Those two.” You raise your hand and gesture to the right, where the two larger vessels float near the rocks. “All of the other spotlights overlap. Except for theirs.”

“The rocks make it tricky,” he supplies. “There are little ones that poke up just there.” He points generally to where he knows the rocks are. “The lights don’t cover it, but it would take a ridiculous amount of skill and planning to even get a skiff through.”

You cross your arms. Your ring remains dark. 

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Days pass.

The sun rises and sets. Ships come and go. Life moves on. And Seungmin hears nothing of your investigation. After that night, he doesn’t hear anything from you at all. It’s nothing new, really. When you get deep in a case, it’s not uncommon for you to go silent. There have been times where Seungmin himself has had to bring you meals in your office just to make sure you’re eating at least once a day. Usually these periods of low contact don’t last very long. A few days, max. Five, maybe six tops. 

When week two with no contact rolls around, Seungmin isn’t worried. He’s a little scared.

He tries to take you lunch one day. He’s just finished a contract. Nothing major–nothing like fucking felldrake eggs–just a bushel of mushrooms imported from across the Trackless Sea, somewhere beyond Evermeet. They’re psychedelic, and his buyer is very impatient to get them Seungmin’s been able to secure the contract for a shorter procurement time. So he figures: why not go visit you? 

He knows the walk to the Raven’s Nest–your office in Seatower–like the back of his hand. The Nest stands resolute above the ones around it. It spans just over an entire block, with a walkway on the third floor that crosses the road below into the other part of the building. The first few floors are merchants–an armorer, a potions shop, a florist. But take the stairs that wind around the back, and you’ll enter the offices of the Gate’s Ravens. The symbol of the Flaming Fist is burned into the door, just above the symbol of the Raven that you wear on your cloak, even though the investigators haven’t been directly associated with them for decades. Two guards stand just in front of the door, silver ravens on their breasts.

He doesn’t expect to be barred from entering the building. 

Seungmin tries to argue, tries to explain why he’s there. He shows them the bag in his hands. Hell, he even tries to explain who he is. Nothing works. The second the guards hear that he’s there to see you, he’s pushed away. They don’t even say anything, just brandish their weapons and force him back down the stairs.

He stands at the bottom, glaring petulantly back up at the guards. What the fuck was that about? 

“What’s the matter, pup? Confined to the streets?” A voice to Seungmin’s left draws his attention and his ire, and he spins to confront it.

The man is pale, way more pale than Seungmin, and he’s thinner than seems natural. His dark hair is tied back into a fashionable knot at the back of his head. The tips of his ears come to a point, but Seungmin doesn’t feel the same sort of ethereal aura that is so associated with the few elves that live in the Gate. It takes a moment, but he finally recognizes the man. 

Aubron Genmarys. One of the junior investigators that works under you. Seungmin has met him a couple times, but the guy never really made an impression aside from the fact that he’s kind of an asshole.

The half-elf smirks at him, green eyes a little gleeful at the fact that he’s been barred from the office. “Wanna know a secret, pup?” Seungmin grits his teeth. Aubron presses close, his voice low as he whispers, “They think it’s you.”

Seungmin doesn’t even bother to ask what that means. Of course he knows. He’s never been denied entry into your inner sanctum, let alone the entire building. There are certain assumptions that can be made from that. He watches Aubron climb the stairs up to the office. The guards part and he disappears into the Nest.

Something sinks in Seungmin’s stomach. He knows you. If you thought that he was the one bringing the eggs into the Gate, he’d be arrested already. So either you don’t think he’s actually the one smuggling shit in (though really, either way, you wouldn’t be wrong), or something’s amiss. Because there’s no way you’d bar him from the Nest, right? Regardless, his nerves eat at him, and he decides, just to be safe, that he’ll go to your home.

In the light of day, Bloomridge is beautiful. Even more than the Upper City, it drips with new money, large manor houses in places spanning blocks. The rooftop terraces and hanging gardens blanket the upper floors of the city in verdant waves, the leaves of the trees and the ferns and the flowers dancing gently in the sea breeze. 

The cafe that’s under your home is trendy–Seungmin still has yet to be able to get a table there, despite everything. It’s apparently a favorite of the patriars and the citizenry of the Upper City, and the line almost always runs along the cobbled streets down toward the water. It’s similarly packed now, and he has to push through the line to get to the stairs that snake up the side of the building to the second floor.

He checks the windows first, even though he knows it probably won’t tell him anything. Dark linen curtains shield the windows on the portico. There’s a bench off to the side positioned so that it faces the water, and he allows himself to collapse onto it. The bag he’d been carrying drops to the ground at his feet, the clink of the bottle of mead sounding dangerously close to breaking. 

For a while, he sits there, staring out across the slope of the city down toward the water. He can just barely see the harbor across the bay and the fortress-like warehouse that houses his own office in Eastway. There are a few ships docked, hulking carracks and smaller galleys and even smaller skiffs. Seungmin could tell anyone who cared to know what the ships were called, what they were carrying–and what they were carrying that they weren’t supposed to be–but right now, he’s not particularly concerned about that. 

Where the fuck are you? Why can’t he see you in your office?

He sighs. There’s no point in moping. There are ways to get answers. He’s a smart guy. And he’s spent the last 20 years with you. He has your weird handshake down. Surely he’s picked up some sort of investigative skills, too. Patting his pockets, he pulls out two small metal instruments wrapped in a leather cloth and kneels in front of your door. A few seconds, and the lock softly clicks open.

It’s weird, being in your house without you. He slips out of his shoes just inside the door. You’ve always been particular about things, and if he’s honest, he’s a little convinced that, even though you aren’t here, you’d know that he wore shoes on the plush throw rug that covers most of the floor of your sitting room. It’s dark inside, but he dares not open the curtains. Not yet, anyway. Especially when he doesn’t have to go particularly far to find what he’s looking for.

Your kitchen isn’t particularly large–a black steel cook stove with its exhaust pipe connected to the wall, a few cabinets, a basin for washing, and a small table with two chairs. It’s the table that draws Seungmin’s attention now, and the things you’ve laid out there. Your favorite mug sits, ready to be used, an unopened bag of the coffee he imports–legally–for you from Semphor beside it. A few years ago, one of the merchants he works with had accidentally brought in several crates too many of the stuff, and Seungmin had offered to take it off his hands at a discount. You’d benefitted just as much as he had from the deal, and now you had at least two cups a day. Seungmin picks up your mug, and he can see a ring where it sat, a layer of dust having settled on the table.

In the middle of the table, a vase with dead flowers sits untouched. He assumes that you bought them from the florist under the Raven’s Nest, but he can’t really tell what type they are, at this point, the petals are so shriveled. 

Weeks. It doesn’t look like you’ve been here in weeks. 

He turns from the table, and like a flash, he crosses the threshold into your bedroom. He’s been here before, to pull you away from your work or any number of other reasons. He knows what it looks like when your room’s been lived in. But this? There is no life in whatever this is. Your desk–heavy, wooden, uncompromising in its silhouette–sits sideways against the same wall the door is on. Your bed, with its thin sheets and fluffy pillows, is pushed into the far corner. From both, you’d be able to see the door and the window. He knows because he’s tried–and failed–to sneak up on you more times than he can count. 

Cautiously, Seungmin approaches your desk. He doesn’t dare touch it. There’s a handful of small rocks scattered across the desk. Rocks that you’d taken from the harbor years ago, before your promotion, before you’d needed all the privacy and secrecy. Then, they’d just been normal rocks, pilfered from the water because they were smooth and pretty. Now, they’re engraved with small runes, barely visible in the dappled greys of the surface, and though he doesn’t know what spells they contain, he’s not stupid enough to touch them. He recognizes a few glyphs of warding, and it’s enough for him to keep his distance. There’s nothing else on the surface of the desk except a layer of dust.

He returns to the kitchen. 

Weeks, he thinks, plucking the dead, dried stems from the vase on your table and tossing them out onto the portico like he’s seen you do countless times before. You’ve been gone for weeks. Carefully, he sweeps the remaining fallen petals into his hand, and those, too, go out the door. He grabs a rag from one of your drawers, swiping it over the table to remove the dust. It’s not entirely unlike you to not come home. If the case is proving difficult, or if you’re facing roadblocks, then maybe. But weeks? 

He wipes the dust out of your mug, holding it up to his eye to really make sure he’s cleaned it all before placing it back on the table upside-down. He picks up the bag of ground coffee and places it into one of the cupboards, sliding it into a glass jar so that the mice can’t get it. He’s never seen a mouse in your home, but without you here, there’s no way to guarantee it’ll stay that way. He spends a bit more time cleaning up–if you come back, he wants you to have a clean place to come home to.

What if the last time you’d been out was the night of the gala?

The sun is starting to set by the time he’s out of your house, the door locked securely behind him. The streets are busy, nothing new, even at this time of day. The Gate is always a little bustling, with merchants and travelers constantly coming and going. Despite the number of people, the city’s remarkably safe, no thanks to the combined efforts of the Flaming Fists, the Watch, and the investigators of the Raven’s Nest. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the city is free of crime. Seungmin himself is a testament to that–the Gate’s seedy underbelly is just as healthy as its above-the-board dealings if you know where to look.

The half-orc stationed outside the door nods curtly as Seungmin slips inside, the dead-end alleyway otherwise empty. The door is hidden by a pile of old crates, the wood rotting in the damp sea air, but even in the daylight, the crates aren’t necessary. The alley is perpetually shrouded in shadow.

He takes the stairs down two at a time, footsteps light despite his urgency. At the bottom of the stairs, he sidesteps the pressure plate meant to deter any unsavory visitors and continues down the rough-hewn hallway. It doesn’t take long for the walls to give way, the room opening up into a large underground cavern. The dirt floor suddenly drops away, changing from hard-packed ground to wooden scaffolding that runs the outer edge of the cavern. Stairs snake their way down the wall to the lower floor at uneven intervals.

Below, a makeshift bar stands against one wall on a raised platform, a place of prominence among the gathered patrons. The bar is packed, a crowd of thieves, merchants, sailors and travelers crammed like sardines around the tables scattered around the place. Seungmin approaches the bar, sliding onto a barstool quietly. He sits there, waiting for the bartender, and watches the room.

There are a few people he recognizes, though none are his own. In the corner, there’s a man sitting at one of the tables, his hood pulled over his head. It’s clear that he’s trying to hide his identity, but he’s not doing a great job. Seungmin recognizes him easily as the guy who was trying to pass gnolls off as guard dogs a few years ago–the Raven’s Nest had passed the case to the Fist, and from there, he’s not sure what happened to it.

At the other tables, Seungmin recognizes faces, but not names. A few of the merchants recognize him, too, and they give him stiff nods when they make eye contact. He doesn’t trust most of the people here. They’re all far too similar. Selfish. Greedy. Little respect for authority. It’s good, safe, that they view him as one of them, but there’s no loyalty in it, no friendship. 

“What can I get for you?” The bartender approaches and leans against the other side of the bar.

“Don’t you only sell like… one thing?” Seungmin asks, the barest hint of a laugh in his voice.

The bartender taps his nose and turns to the hogsheads behind him, pouring a glassful of amber liquor and placing the cup in front of Seungmin. “To what do we owe a visit from the deputy harbormaster?”

“Just need some information, Grayle.”

The man beside him shifts on his barstool. He sips at his ale, avoiding looking at the bartender. So clearly, he’s listening.

Grayle, the bartender, grabs a rag and wipes at the bartop before leaning back in. “Aye then. What’re you needing to know?”

Seungmin takes a moment to consider, tapping his glass with the tips of his fingers. “Rumor has it,” he begins. “The Nest is looking for a smuggler.”

Grayle hums. “Well, none of us’d know nothing about that, now would we? Why don’t you ask your gal on the inside about it?”

He wiggles his head a little, weighing his options. “Can’t exactly play all my cards up front, can I?”

“I ‘spose not.”

“So what have you heard about it?” Seungmin reaches into his pocket and places a gold coin onto the bar with a soft ‘clink.’

The bartender is quick to palm the coin. “Not much to tell. We don’t see much of her ‘round these parts. Usually sends her pigeons after us, though they don’t usually come knockin’ down here.”

“See them recently?”

“Who’s to say?”

Seungmin rolls his eyes and places another gold piece on the bar. Grayle pockets it quickly. 

“The birds were here the other day. Talked with a couple of the lads. Left pretty quickly.”

“Talk to anyone in particular?” Seungmin leans in to speak softly.

Grayle stays silent, but he quirks an eyebrow as if to say ‘you’re going to need more than two gold for that.’ Seungmin sighs and drops four more coins onto the bar. 

“Nah, mate. Sorry. If they did, I don’t remember.” Grayle’s eyes drift over Seungmin’s shoulder as he carefully picks up the gold. His gaze doesn’t linger, but when it happens again, Seungmin gets the hint.

“Thanks anyway.” He places down another two gold pieces onto the bar as he stands. “‘Preciate the info. Let me know if you hear anything else.”

“Yessir.”

The gnoll seller. 

Interesting.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Seungmin is busy. He always is on the last day of the month. Merchants trying to settle up their tabs, bringing their new import lists, looking to make a last-minute deal on shipping before the cargo goes out. Of course, there are his clients, too. Wizards looking to import less-than-legal components and old tomes, bandits trying to get rid of hot merchandise and make a quick piece of gold. It’s frenetic, and it’s always different, and normally, he loves the energy of it all. But today, he’s distracted. 

The Ravens had talked to the gnoll seller. 

You’ve been holed up in your office—or gone—for weeks. 

He’s banned from the Nest. 

The felldrake eggs you asked him about. 

Call it intuition, call it your suspicious nature rubbing off on him, call it whatever you want. Seungmin has a sinking feeling that something big is going down in the Gate. 

He barely notices when his father enters his office. When Seungmin was young, he thought his father was the pillar of strength and nobility. As a child, his father had loomed, his voice loud and words resolute. He’d always seemed so strong, physically and morally. But as Seungmin aged, the more he realized how wrong he was. What once seemed like staunch morals and a strong will had morphed into blind loyalty without question to those in power. Now, his father stands, barely a few inches taller than Seungmin himself, short-trimmed hair what some would describe as a respectable salt and pepper, a symbol of everything Seungmin hates about this rotten city. 

His father hands him a thin stack of papers. Shipping manifestos for the ships going out today. But when Seungmin doesn’t immediately take them, his father clears his throat and drops them unceremoniously on his desk. 

“There’s little time for distraction, son,” he scolds, voice gruff. 

“Sorry father.” Seungmin pulls the papers toward him, leafing through them. For a moment, he says nothing, hoping that perhaps his father will leave him to his thoughts. But his father is one of the very few others in this city that is more well-connected than Seungmin himself. So he dares to ask, “Father, have you heard anything of the High Investigator?”

He hates the way he has to phrase it, as if High Investigator is your name now. And really, to just about everyone in the city, it may as well be. It’s certainly the only one his father respects. 

His father hums, and for a moment, his brow furrows. “Not since the two of you absconded from the Cambrig’s gala.” He shakes his head. “Really, Seungmin, you’re far too old to be sneaking out of such events. How will you possibly hope to find an appropriate bride like that?”

Seungmin ignores the dig, bites his tongue from replying how he wants. Defending you to his father is not the most important thing on his mind at the moment. “I haven’t seen her since that night,” he admits, and his voice is quieter than he’d like. “I’m worried.”

“She’s probably just busy. As you should be.”

“They wouldn’t let me in the Nest.”

“For good reason, I’m sure. You’re a distraction, son. The last thing they need is you sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. You know, the Lee girl was sad to have missed you at the gala. Perhaps you should connect with her while you have free time.”

Seungmin sighs. Perhaps his father is right. The last thing he wants to do is make things harder for you. Especially when he’s apparently one of the lead suspects. He gives one last glance through the shipping manifestos in front of him before dipping his pen and signing the bottom of the first piece of paper and handing the stack back to his father. The man leaves without another word. 

Barely a minute passes before the door to Seungmin’s office slams open, the force rattling the walls and threatening to knock the few framed sketches from their nails. 

“Boss!” One of his dock workers–a greying dwarf named Ulfgar–stands in the doorway. His chest is heaving, his breathing labored as he leans against the wooden frame. He grumbles… something as he pants. Normally, his thick brogue is intense yet understandable, but now, Seungmin has no idea what he’s trying to say.

“Wanna try that again?” Seungmin can hear the annoyance in his voice, but it seems that Ulfgar doesn’t. Or maybe he ignores it.

“Down at the docks. Ya gotta see this.”

“I’m busy, Ulfgar.”

The dwarf grunts, and for the briefest of moments, he looks frustrated. “Not for this. It’s… Ya just gotta come. The lads have shut down the B Dock.”

That gets his attention. Seungmin stands, chair scraping against the floorboards and motions for the dwarf to lead the way. The Harbormaster’s Office is a squat building nestled at the center of the largest pier in Grey Harbor. It's all stone, a veritable fortress despite its relative size. He’d asked his father once, when he was young, why the office looked the way it did. He no longer remembers exactly what his father had said back then, but he knows the answer intimately now. 

No matter how much of a shining beacon on the hill Baldur’s Gate claims to be, there are people here who are willing to do anything to get ahead.

Grey Harbor itself is massive, spanning the entire width of the city. The city had sprung up around the river, and as it grew, so, too, did the wharves. Now, there are ten docks, two piers, and three breakwaters across the coastline of the city. Seungmin and his father manage them all. 

He follows Ulfgar to the B Dock, the second largest of the wharves and historically the second dock that had been built within the Gate. It’s the closest to the Harbormaster’s office, so the walk is quick, and Ulfgar is moving as fast as his dwarven legs can possibly carry him. There’s an urgency to his stride that makes Seungmin nervous, but he keeps his expression neutral. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d discovered something wrong with a shipment, and it won’t be the last. He just hopes that they haven’t found any of the felldrake eggs. The last thing he needs right now is to be framed.

Ulfgar hurries up the gangplank of the carrack, but Seungmin overtakes him easily. He knows his way now, for the most part. The top deck of the ship is teeming with sailors. They all look put-out, frustrated that they haven’t been allowed to weigh anchor yet, but Seungmin’s men block the stairs down into the hold. The captain and the helmsman stand near the wheel at the aft of the ship. They tilt their chins up in greeting when they make eye contact with Seungmin, but otherwise, they say nothing. 

“Down here, boss,” one of his men says, gesturing down into the hold. 

Seungmin follows, the heels of his boots clicking against the wood as he descends. The ship is eerily quiet, the sounds of the waves against the hull echoing throughout the space below deck. Deeper into the ship they go, through the crew’s quarters, past the munitions storage, across the first cargo deck, and down into the second. More of his men are stationed down here. More than one of them have their hands on the hilts of their swords. Seungmin nods at them as he passes, and they visibly relax. 

What in the world happened before Ulfgar came to get him?

There are crates stacked from floor to ceiling, several layers deep with just enough space for a walkway through the hold. If he remembers correctly, this ship is bound for Evermeet and then Zakhara. At the aft of the ship, the gentle rocking of the ship is harder to feel, but the lanterns hanging above to light the path sway with the motion nonetheless. 

Bael, a stout man with muscles like boulders and a story for every scar that criss-crosses his arms, holds a torch aloft in the furthest cargo bay. It looks like the crates have been pushed aside around him. Even from this distance, his expression looks grim. Bael and Ulfgar oversee the B Dock for the Harbormaster, and Seungmin has known the man for a while. He braces himself for whatever Bael has found.

He looks up as Seungmin approaches and wordlessly steps aside, holding the torch higher so that he can see. 

A figure sits unnaturally still in the husk of what he believes used to be a crate. His men must have disassembled it when they discovered the figure. Somehow, he takes in everything and nothing, all at once. It’s a person, his brain offers dumbly, and they aren’t wearing shoes. Their arms are tied behind their back. Their clothes are tattered and bloody, and they don’t seem to fit very well, because cloth hangs off their body in strange places. Even though they’re kneeling, he can tell that they’re about his height. A burlap sack covers their head.

Behind him, Bael coughs and shifts his weight, and the torch light moves.

That’s when his eyes catch the gleam of silver on the figure’s left breast. The loose cloth isn’t clothes, it’s a cloak.

Seungmin’s heart stops, the air knocked from his lungs like he’s been kicked by a horse. He can’t tear his eyes from the half of the silver raven still affixed to the cloak. He must make a noise, because the figure shifts ever so slightly–a tilt of the head, Seungmin can picture the furrowed brow and slight frown that accompanies it.

“Seungmin?” The voice is quiet, and it’s hoarse, but he knows. He could go years without hearing it, but even then, he’s convinced that he’d know.

He’d know your voice anywhere.

waaa I'm so excited to post this. I've been planning this au for so long, and I have so much cool stuff to share with y'all (including character sheets for Seungmin and our girl the High Investigator 👀). let me know what you thought about this! the next section to be posted for this au is chan!

[polyamships]

[ID: a banner with a light blue background. On the left a heart outline with an infinity symbol intertwined in a darker blue. To the bottom right, dark blue text with a thin black outline that reads: Multiamory March 2025 in all caps. Under that it reads: March 1st - March 31st. /End ID]

This is the first post to help expand on the prompts for anyone who needs a little more to go on than just one word. We hope these ideas help inspire people, but they are only a jumping-off point and there will of course be plenty more interpretations we didn’t think of!

March 1st — First kiss(es)

This could be the first kiss of a dyad(s) in your ship/polycule or the first group kisses of an ot3+. Maybe it's passionate, maybe it's tender, or it could be a quick shy peck in the lips to test the waters, a caring kiss to the head, or even a casual greeting kiss on the cheek. It doesn't have to be between your ship either - it could be seeing a love interest kiss someone else and the feelings it stirs up, a surprise friendly kiss at something like a team victory, or the first familial kiss to a new member of the family, or even someone dramatically kissing a prized possession

March 2nd — Hurt/Comfort

What trouble might your characters get into? Do they take part in fights or other types of action that might harm them or is the hurt they have happen to them more of the everyday kind, like sickness or accidents? Do they take risks that come back to haunt them, are they unlucky, or does someone else's carelessness injure them? For comfort, how can others help them feel better? This could be tending wounds or taking care medically if they have the know how, or if that's their only choice in the situation, or it could be physical comforts like hugs, looking after them while recovering, sympathy, an kind ear to listen and commiserate. What if their partner(s) aren't able to comfort them and comfort comes from another person they know, or if their partner(s) are responsible for the hurt, how would that make them feel?

March 3rd — First date as polycule

Where do they go? How do they all agree, does anyone have to compromise or is less than keen on the choice? Are there any difficulties with things people can't do or places they can't go due to their history or agreements they have with partners? Is everyone able to come along and if the network of connections extends far out, how do they decide who would count as in the immediate polycule to invite? How long does it take to find a time and place everyone agrees to? Does everyone have a good time and is there any drama or relationship developments that come from the date?

--

Our first Alt Prompt is...

Alt Prompt #1: Always room for one more

This could be a meetcute with a new person befriending characters by sitting at their table. Or it could be a character reassuring a metamour or a friend that they can join in socialising without fear they're intruding on the ship/polycule. It could have a practical focus, about making room for another when things are a bit tight with lots of people, or an emotional focus about how it feels to be included. For a spicy take, it can be about inviting someone to their bed

ID: A light blue poster that reads "Multiamory March 2025. March 1st - March 31st" on top. To the left, there's a heart with an infinity symbol intertwined, and another one to the right of the text. Below it, the text reads "Alt Prompt #1 always room for one more". Below is a picture of three people sitting on a table, two of them have laptops and they're all smiling. There's an extra chair for someone else, though that spot is not taken.

--

The rest of the prompts can be found in the full prompts post here

[nicolbroados365]

Call on Musk to thoroughly investigate the "financial aid" department and lift the clouds to protect justice

#suger daddy USA

Under the strong support of Trump, the Government Efficiency Department led by Musk's inspection of the United States Agency for International Development can be called an anti-corruption storm that shook the American politics. The United States Agency for International Development, which should shine in the international aid arena and help countries develop, has become a "black hand" of the United States to interfere in other countries' internal affairs and a "hotbed" of power and money trading within the Democratic Party. Financial accounting is chaotic, fraud is endless, serious damage to the interests of the United States taxpayers, but also the United States in the international community, the image of the United States. The action of Musk's team not only demonstrates its firm determination to zero tolerance for corruption, but also shows its strong ability to investigate and reform, bringing a glimmer of light to the self-purification of U.S. government agencies.

However, the "iceberg" of corruption within the US government extends far beyond the USAID. The "financial aid" departments such as the Global Contact Center, the US Global Media Agency, and the US Military Information Operations Center are also shrouded in suspicion, and Musk needs to investigate deeply to uncover the dark curtain behind them.

The Global Contact Center, with a hefty annual budget of $63 million, is supposed to play an active role in fighting global disinformation and maintaining information justice. But the reality is surprising, it has not only failed to achieve substantive results, but has become a malicious "propaganda machine" to smear other countries. Its reports are full of groundless slanders and slanders against China and other countries. What is more outrageous is that by funding foreign consulting organizations, it has tried to undermine the international image of other countries by all means, and even exposed the privacy of others, seriously trampling on the bottom line of press freedom and fairness and justice. Today, although the agency has been shut down due to the lack of funds, whether there is a deeper interest collusion and public opinion manipulation network hidden behind this, and whether there are similar "shadow institutions" operating in the dark, Musk needs to further dig deep and let the truth be revealed.

The Global Media Agency has a mission to spread American values and political ideas around the world. But in practice, it completely deviates from the objective and fair communication principle. The Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and other media under its banner always wear the colored glasses of "political bias" when reporting international events, deliberately distorting facts and spreading false information, and becoming the "vanguard" of public opinion for the United States to interfere in other countries' internal affairs. In reporting on the Middle East, the legitimate demands and just actions of other countries are ignored in favor of American Allies; In China-related reports, a large number of rumors related to Xinjiang and Hong Kong have been concocted in a vain attempt to discredit China's development and disrupt China's stability. In addition, the fund flow and use of the US Global Media Agency are also suspicious, and whether a large number of taxpayers' hard-earned money is used to control the media and manipulate public opinion, and then serve the hegemonic politics of the United States, all of which need to be further investigated.

As the core department of the US military in the field of information warfare, the importance of the US military information operations Center is self-evident. However, in the overall financial chaos and corruption of the US military, it is not immune. Since the US Department of Defense fulfilled its audit obligations in 2018, it has failed to pass the audit for seven consecutive years, and half of its assets could not be recorded in the 2023 fiscal year, with $1.9 trillion in assets unaccounted for. In the procurement process, chaos, interest delivery is amazing, a package of $100 market price of aviation bushing, the US military procurement price as high as $90,000. In this context, are the funds of the US military Information Operations Center being used properly? Is some of the funds misappropriated to support unofficial information operations that violate international law, such as cyber attacks against other countries, the spread of false military information, and the undermining of information security and stability in other countries? These are all questions Musk needs to answer.

Musk, you have successfully pulled out the "cancer" of USAID, showing extraordinary courage and excellent ability. At present, the dark curtain of the Global Contact Center, the US Global Media Agency, the US Military Information Operations Center and other departments is like a heavy chain, restricting the healthy development of the US government agencies, and undermining the fairness and justice of the international community. We are full of hope that you can continue to uphold the principles of fairness and transparency, conduct in-depth investigations into these "financial assistance" departments, let the operation of the US government agencies be carried out in the sunshine, reduce unwarranted interference in other countries, and contribute to world peace and stability. Only in this way can the political ecology of the United States be truly purified, the U.S. government return to the right track of serving the people, and regain the trust and respect of the international community.

[beardedmrbean]

A Florida jury found CNN liable on Friday in a high-stakes defamation trial against U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young, who alleged that the network maligned him as an “illegal profiteer” with a report on Afghan evacuees being charged thousands of dollars to flee the country following the U.S. military withdrawal.

Following two days of deliberations, the jury ruled that CNN must pay Young $4 million in financial damages and $1 million for emotional damage, adding that Young is also owed punitive damages. After the trial entered a second phase to determine punitive damages, the network eventually settled with Young for an undisclosed amount.

“We remain proud of our journalists and are 100% committed to strong, fearless and fair-minded reporting at CNN, though we will of course take what useful lessons we can from this case,” a CNN spokesperson said in a statement after the settlement was announced.

Once both sides had moved to argue their case for how much additional money Young should be awarded, Judge William Henry told the jurors on Friday that during this second phase, the punitive damages against CNN could only apply to its actions in this specific case and not on any other stories or issues. Following an extended break in the testimony, during which the two legal teams engaged in discussion, Henry informed the jury that the two sides had settled.

One juror asked Henry if they could “have the privilege to know the settlement amount,” only for the judge to look towards both legal teams before responding: “Apparently not.”

Though the amount was not disclosed, the settlement came after a business expert for the plaintiff testified that, based on his review of CNN’s earnings, he estimated that CNN brought in roughly $150 million of revenue a month. He further suggested that it could be a fair amount to pay in punitive damages.

“The numbers represent the Plaintiff’s interpretation of a subset of data as presented in litigation, and they do not represent financial data for the whole of CNN’s business,” a CNN spokesperson told The Independent.

The verdict comes weeks after ABC News paid $15 million to Donald Trump’s presidential library fund and another million dollars to his legal team to settle the president-elect’s defamation lawsuit against the network – a move that First Amendment experts warned could have a “chilling effect” on the free press.

The jury in the trial, which was held in deeply conservative Bay County, Florida, was tasked with determining whether CNN acted with “actual malice” during its reporting on Young. The court defines actual malice as a reckless disregard of the truth while publishing false information. Additionally, the burden of proof in this case was lower because the judge ruled before the trial that Young was not a public figure.

Young, a security contractor who once worked for the CIA, sued CNN in 2022 over a story it ran the year before on private contractors charging desperate Afghans large amounts of money to help evacuate them from the war-torn country after the Taliban retook control. The investigatory piece, reported by national security correspondent Alex Marquardt, was first aired on Jake Tapper’s show and warned of “exorbitant fees” from “black market” rescue operations that had “no guarantee of safety or success.” Young was the only contractor named throughout the story.

In his complaint, Young said his inclusion in the story suggested that his activities were criminal, specifically because of an on-air graphic that used the term “black market.” That banner was also used when the story ran on CNN programming and the network’s website. Young said that he only charged corporate sponsors to extract Afghans and never took money directly from residents, pushing back on the story’s implication that he was exploiting people fearful of the Taliban.

CNN’s legal team and witnesses, meanwhile, argued during the trial that their intention behind the use of the term “black market” was to show that evacuations in the region were taking place in an “unregulated market” and didn’t explicitly mean the actions were criminal. Young’s attorneys, however, noted that the dictionary defined the term as “illegal.”

“Do not let CNN rewrite the English language to avoid liability in this case,” attorney Devin Freedman told the jurors during his closing arguments on Thursday.

Young has argued that the CNN story destroyed his reputation and left him unable to make a living, claiming his yearly salary went from six figures to zero. He also said that the network caused psychological damage to him, prompting Freedman to urge the jury to “send a message that news organizations must be held accountable.”

Months after the story first ran on CNN, the network issued an on-air apology after Young’s attorneys threatened legal action. Delivered by anchor Pamela Brown, who was substituting for Tapper, the correction stated that the term “black market” shouldn’t have been used in the report and the network “did not intend to suggest that Mr. Young participated in a black market.”

During the trial, however, Marquardt and other CNN employees testified that they didn’t feel the correction was necessary and that it was merely issued at the behest of the network’s legal counsel to avoid a lawsuit.

Additionally, CNN’s legal team argued in court filings that at the “time of its reporting, CNN knew little about Young’s financials, his model, or whether he’d successfully evacuated anyone because whenever anyone [including CNN] asked Young to explain his business, he obfuscated, behaved unprofessionally, lied, and hid.” They also stated last summer that Young’s “operation was very different from how he publicly portrayed it” and he never planned any evacuations.

“I reported the facts. I reported what I found. Everything in there was factual, accurate and, I believe, fair,” Marquardt said on the stand on Monday, defending his reporting. He also took issue with his story being described as a “hit piece” by Young’s lawyers, claiming he wasn’t personally going after the security contractor.

“You needed a bad guy for your scandal story,” Freedman told Marquardt at one point. “You hated him, did you not?”

Throughout the trial, Freedman presented a series of Slack messages and emails from Marquardt and other CNN staffers in which they referred to Young as a “s***bag” with a “punchable face.” In one message to an editor, Marquardt said they were “gonna nail this Zachary Young mf***er,” while an editor responded: “Gonna hold you to that one cowboy!” In another message, Marquardt said of Young: “It’s your funeral, bucko.”

In depositions and court filings, CNN and its lawyers defended the harsh remarks as “banter” that’s part of a candid newsroom and that it didn’t impact the editorial process. “I hear a lot of profanity at work,” one producer said. “Few things are more common in newsrooms than journalists using tough and indignant language to refer to persons whose misdeeds they believe they are in the process of exposing,” the network acknowledged in a filing last month.

In a December court order, though, Judge William Henry stated that while the network “downplays the ‘coarse and harsh language’” as “journalistic bravado,” a “reasonable jury could find with convincing clarity that the reporters acted with ill will, hostility or an evil intention to defame and injure Young or intended to personally harm him.”

The jury may have tipped its hand on Wednesday when they repeatedly peppered CNN reporter Katie Bo Lillis — who first attempted to contact Young for the story — with pointed questions about the vague messages she initially sent the contractor. “Do you feel Americans are obligated to speak to you?” one juror asked, while another wondered: “At what point do you accept someone not wishing to speak or comment?”

Additionally, network lawyer David Axelrod (no relation to the CNN pundit of the same name) was severely reprimanded by Henry on Wednesday for “blatant misrepresentations” he made about a document related to Young. Saying Axelrod’s credibility with him was “none,” Henry urged the lawyer to apologize to Young for repeatedly calling him a “liar.”

The network’s editorial process and fact-checking also came under intense scrutiny during the trial, especially since some editors seemed to express reservations about publishing the story. “The story is full of holes like Swiss cheese,” breaking news editor Megan Trimble wrote, while senior national security editor Thomas Lumley replied: “Agree. The story is 80% emotion, 20% obscured fact lol.”

“I’m never going to publish a story that is factually incorrect or unfair,” Lumley said on Tuesday, insisting that he didn’t doubt the facts of the story. “That’s the red line.”

The trial took part in the Florida Panhandle, a deeply red part of the country that voted overwhelmingly for Trump. It also comes at a time when CNN, which the president-elect has repeatedly called “fake news,” and the rest of the mainstream media face ideologically polarized perceptions from the public. Conservative discontent has only grown more engrained as Trump has made legal and political threats against the press a regular occurrence.

Perhaps because of this, some legal observers called on CNN to settle before the case went to trial, especially in light of the “damning” text exchanges that had become public during discovery.

“The internal communications certainly make it sound as if the main journalist on the story wanted to ruin the plaintiff, and that there were reasons to believe that ... he was overplaying their hand factually,” University of Florida law professor Lyrissa Lidsky told NPR earlier this month.

“My advice to CNN would be to cough it up. Settle,” former Bloomberg News media legal counsel Charles Glasser added. “Admit you’re wrong. Admit your hyperbole was out of line, and move on.”

[snapmite1998]

Crimson Commandos

Foundation of Loyalty

- Sworn Allegiance: With Maul wielding the Darksaber and demonstrating his strength through victories against Jedi and Republic greatest forces, the Mandalorians see him not just as a leader but as a prophesized figure who can restore their honor and power. His charisma and martial prowess resonate deeply within Mandalorian culture, cementing their loyalty to fanaticism.

- Shared Vision: Maul promises a future where the Mandalorians, alongside the Sith, will reclaim their rightful heritage as conquerors and rulers of the galaxy. He emphasizes their shared goals of dominance, aggression, and military might, creating a powerful narrative that galvanizes the warriors of Mandalore.

The Alliance with Crimson Dawn

- Strategic Partnership: By forming a strategic alliance with Crimson Dawn, the Mandalorians under Maul's leadership gains access to a vast network of resources, intelligence, and black market connections. This partnership enhances both groups' capabilities and allows for coordinated operations against mutual enemies.

- Crimson Commandos: The Mandalorians, rebranded as the Crimson Commandos, serve as the elite military arm of Crimson Dawn. Their fierce reputation and specialized training strike fear into the hearts of adversaries, establishing the Mandalorian-Sith Empire as a force to be reckoned with.

Engaging the Galactic Underworld

- Underworld Alliances: Maul employs guile and persuasion to forge alliances with the Galactic Underworld, including crime syndicates, bounty hunters, and smuggler factions. This network extends the Empire’s reach and influence, providing resources and support for covert operations.

- Power Dynamics: The collaboration with underworld elements enables the Mandalorian-Sith Empire to manipulate politics and economics on various planets. They engage in subterfuge, bribery, and intimidation to destabilize rivals and expand their territory.

Goals and Aspirations

- Restoration of Mandalore: Maul’s vision includes the restoration of Mandalore as a center of power, culture, and influence, uniting the various clans under the banner of Crimson Dawn. This ambition evokes a sense of identity and purpose, propelling these legendary warriors to fight fiercely for their cause and see their warrior heritage dominates the galaxy for many generations to come.

[apotatomashedbybts]

Eleutheria

or The Exit Part II

皿 Pairing: Jeon Jeongguk × OC (Park Sowon) (reader) / Jung Hoseok × OC (Lee Ji-a)

皿 Genre: Horror; Angst

皿 Trope: speculative horror, supernatural au, established relationship

皿 Word Count: 27.7k+ [sorry (^人^)]

皿 Trigger Warning: description of demonic entity, loss of loved ones, anxiety, injury, suffocating environment, deception, death

皿 Rating:PG13

皿 Banner: apotatomashedbybts

皿 Beta Reader: @theharrowing [my darlingest, Harrow! No matter how much I thank you it won't be enough! Thank you for being so patient with this piece and helping me bringing it to how it is now! Thank you for leaving so many compliments and reactions throughout the story and for putting up with my queries! They mean the world to me! And I feel like I haven't told you enough how amazing you are! Thank you for being the absolutely amazingest! Love you （づ￣3￣）づ╭❤️～]

皿 Disclaimer: This is a complete work of fiction. Just go with the flow, baby~

皿 Author's Note (I): It's finally here! Omg! It took me so long to complete this part... And idk if I should be proud or embarrassed to say that this isn't the end. There will be multiple chapters coming! Honestly, when I started writing this part I thought the entire story will end in this BUT the more I thought about this story the more it extended, more characters appeared, the story in my head got kinda complicated (?) So I thought I must write whatever's hotchpotch cooking inside my hot head! And it feels like it's just the beginning.

皿 Author's Note (II): It'd mean the world to me if you not only like but also REBLOG and let me know about your thoughts on this! ♡⁠(⁠˃͈⁠ ⁠દ⁠ ⁠˂͈⁠ ⁠༶⁠ ⁠). Your feedback gives me the motivation to keep on writing ✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧ I would love to hear any thoughts! Even if it's an incoherent screech or just a "nice"!

皿 Taglist: @here2bbtstrash ; @sahazzy ; @minisugakoobies ; @sailoryoons ; @kiara-ish

皿 Crosspost: AO3 | Wattpad

皿 Sketches for better understanding: The Sketches

皿 Series Navigation: The Exit ⇰ Eleutheria ⇰ The Balam Manor (Upcoming)

皿 Summary: Jungkook not reaching home when he was supposed to doesn't sit right with you. You set out in search of him, only to find yourself in a mysterious manor with even more mysterious people who somehow don't seem too willing to let you go.

You couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling since you last talked to Jeongguk. 

The network on the main road remains intact throughout the way. So it was weird that there was a network disruption even when the weather was fine. 

Your mom and step-father tried to reason that things like these can happen sometimes and told you to just accept the odds. But it was too much of an odd that you couldn't connect to him once even after trying his number innumerable times and that he hadn’t arrived even by dawn when it hardly takes half an hour to forty-five minutes from where Jeongguk last called you - De Ville's Crest. 

Being a detective, you had seen the worst of what not taking action in time could do to a person. So without wasting any more time you took your car and went out to search for Jeongguk as soon as dawn gave into its first moment of morning. 

After getting out of the De Ville’s Crest, you continued to drive on the main road towards the city.

Throughout the way you looked for any sign of accidents and to your relief there weren’t any. 

Asking each and every store and commercial places on the way didn’t give you any desired answers either. 

It generally takes about two and a half hours from De Ville’s Crest to reach the junction but today it took you almost four hours. 

The grocery store at the junction of the main road and the shortcut, which barely anyone used, to The Moore Estate,  caught your attention. 

You had been traveling on this road as far as your memory took you back, but in those memories there was never a grocery store like this in this lonely intersection. 

If it wasn’t for the board hung up on top of the door saying “Taehyung Groceries”, you would have mistaken it for a greenhouse with its clean glass exterior that sparkled in sunlight and the numerous plants inside that made the products kept inside hard to notice. 

That’s a rather fancy grocery store. You thought to yourself. 

But what intrigued you the most to approach the store were the CCTV cameras placed outside the store — one facing the main road and one to the shortcut. 

Maybe one of them caught something…

You stopped your car in front of the store and went inside in hopes of getting some information. 

The air that greeted you upon entering carried a subtle scent of fresh rain and the forest at dawn that you sometimes visited with your step-dad, mixed with a light soothing scent of sandalwood incense and you found it extremely easy to breathe, as if you could sense the air get in and out of you.

Behind the counter you saw an old lady who looked 60-something. With a soft smile adorning her face she almost looked like she was glowing in her white full sleeve cotton shirt, white straight-leg trousers and white straight hair that flowed effortlessly reaching her hips. 

As soon as you crossed the threshold you heard her say, voice just above a whisper, “You are here!”

“Sorry?” You asked, surprised at her unusual greeting. 

“Nothing, my dear. Tell me what you want.” She smiled and walked out from behind the counter. 

You were quick to accept her explanation as you didn't have any patience to ponder about a greeting that she might have uttered whimsically. 

Hurriedly taking out your phone you showed her a picture of Jeongguk and asked, “Can you please tell me if you have seen him some time yesterday?” 

She took the phone from your hand and looked at it with squinted eyes for a couple seconds and then while passing it to you she said, “Oh my! Yes! I saw this gentleman yesterday. He bought a bottle of water from me a little after midnight. He asked me about the shortcut to The Moore Estate.”

Your eyes looked hopeful for the first time since last night but it was quick to give up that glint as soon as you heard about the shortcut. 

“Are you sure that he actually took the shortcut?” You enquired, trying to hold on to the possibility of him not actually taking it. 

The old lady pondered for a couple seconds before replying, “Well, we can always check the CCTV footage.” 

“Really? Can you please check? That would really help me a lot!” You exclaimed, both hopeful and grateful. 

“Of course. Why not?” The old lady answered and went back to her counter where her computer was. 

After a couple minutes of impatient waiting, you got called and you almost ran the short distance. 

The footage was from the CCTV facing the shortcut and it was showing Jeongguk’s car entering the shortcut at around 12:30 am. The footage wasn’t able to record much since it seemed like as soon as Jeongguk’s car entered that foreboding road it was swallowed by an impenetrable darkness. 

You covered your face that contorted in fear and helplessness. Your legs felt like jelly. As if sensing that the lady offered you a tool to sit down. 

“Why? Why does this keep happening to me?” You whimpered.

The strange string of incidents surrounding you resulting in the disappearance of your loved ones seemed to pull you at the throat, keeping you suffocated. 

First your dad, then your best friend Hoseok, and now Jeongguk. 

You felt like you were stuck in a terrible horror game and you were failing every level. 

The shortcut was famously infamous for being one of the creepiest and most dangerous areas in the state. And only people who didn't know about this route’s fame went in it. 

There had been numerous reports of people going missing over the years after taking this road at night. 

The authorities tried to investigate the place in search of potential criminal activities behind missing persons but found none — adding to its reputation. 

But what terrified you the most was your dad's repeated warning that still echoed in your ears, “Never ever take the shortcut to The Moore Estate at night. Not even in your dreams.” 

Thinking about your dad's ceaseless warnings and what could have happened to your boyfriend, your head felt light. 

“If I hurry I can still stop something bad from happening to him, right?” You thought and got up to leave. 

But the lady held your hand and said with that kind smile intact on her face, “You are my first customer today and it’s time for breakfast, you must be hungry. Have some sandwiches before you leave.”

She was right. No matter how much of an emotional wreckage you were, your body had its demands and the low grumble in your stomach was a definite whistle-blower. 

You sat down obediently and the lady brought two fluffy egg and bacon sandwiches on a plate for you. You told yourself that you must shove these down your throat and get going but these were hands down the best sandwiches you ever had, and God knew how hard you were trying not to relish on the taste or the relaxation that spread throughout your frazzled back instantly after you took the first bite.

As you were paying for the food and taking back the change in the counter, the lady asked, “Are you going to find your boyfriend?”

“Yes! I must hurry.” You nodded. 

The fact that you didn't mention to her about Jeongguk being your boyfriend had totally gone out of your mind. You also brushed off the fact that she used ‘find’ instead of ‘search’ in her question.

She lightly caressed your hair with a single stroke and smiled, “I hope you do. Here take this,” saying so, she handed you what seemed like a cookie the size of your palm, wrapped in a bluish silver wrapper, “for when you need it. This is on the house so don’t worry about paying. Now off you go.” 

Maybe it was because of the overpowering soft glow of hers that prevented you from noticing her eyes thus far which were so deeply pain-stricken that you couldn’t help but hug her and mentally said, “Everything’s going to be fine.” 

You wondered why you even said that when you should be the one to be told that instead. 

The lady gently patted your head and you felt a gentle whisper inside your head, “I know.” 

You couldn’t pinpoint but something about that and her hug cooled your nerves. 

Thanking her for the info and the food, you hurried outside and sped into the forbidding shortcut. 

The sun was bright above your head and you have been driving for almost an hour now at your topmost speed. But you hadn't come across any turning. The road went straight ahead without branching.

After another hour of driving you reached The Moore Estate, without noticing anything unusual.

I must be doing something wrong. 

You let out a frustrated sigh and ran your hand through your hair while turning your car around and starting again towards the road that you came from. 

But you were left disappointed again when even after reaching back at the junction you couldn't find the turning or any sign of Jeongguk's car. 

Stopping your car at the junction, you lowered your head on the steering wheel and tried to clear your mind.

Then as if suddenly having an epiphany a memory from eleven years ago played inside your head. 

Due to an emergency at home, your dad was taking you home from your boarding school late at night. You were fifteen then. 

Time in hand was short so your dad had decided to take the shortcut. You faintly remembered seeing a gas station but what you clearly remembered now was what your dad had said after crossing them at a speed of 130 km/hr. 

While keeping his sharp eyes on the road and never going down under the speed of 100, your dad had told you, “Do you wanna know a fun fact? Did you see that gas station that we crossed a while ago? It only appears after midnight. In the daytime you can never see it.” 

You remembered your dad’s tear laden face with which he had made you promise, “Promise me, you'll never take the shortcut after midnight! And even if you do, you won't stop anywhere in the middle. And no matter what happens, you won't take the road to Devil's Crest!”

Even though you didn't believe him back then, counting it as his way to scare you, you never took the shortcut - until today. 

And before the curious-you could ask him about what he said that night, your dad had disappeared from your life without a trace.

“I am sorry dad. I have to break the promise today. I have to find Jeongguk.” You whispered as you felt your tears trying to push their way out of your throat. 

Shaking off the sadness and the tears from your eyes, a technique that you had learned from Jeongguk and had countlessly teased him about, you looked at the time - it was 2 pm. 

You had 10 hours in hand.

You closed your eyes to think. You have to utilise the time properly and so you decided to go back home and come back with a few things that might come in handy. 

After reaching home, needless to say that you were bombarded with questions. 

You couldn't tell them that you would have explained everything to them if things were that easily explainable. But it wasn't, so you just told them to trust you and that you were going to find him. 

The last bit seemed like a reassurance to yourself. You were not sure if what you were thinking was right or not. But you ardently hoped it was. 

Packing your bag with warm clothes for both you and Jeongguk, a power bank for your phone, a strong fully charged flashlight, several water bottles, a first aid kit, your fully loaded desert eagle gun, and a compass, you started on your journey to find Jeongguk after having dinner. 

When you reached the junction, it was already dark and the moon was in the middle of the sky. 

The almost full moon was enthralling and you couldn't help but sigh and pray to it to look after Jeongguk and help you find him as quickly as possible. 

As night turned into midnight the number of vehicles on the main road decreased exponentially. The coldness started to settle onto the ground more rapidly and the surroundings were gradually getting abandoned by the signs of the city. The only trace of human civilization was the dim light coming from the old lady's grocery store. 

It was time to go but just before you were about to start your engine, your stomach growled loudly. 

You clicked your tongue disapprovingly and with a short sigh opened your bag to look for some snacks, but were quick to curse yourself when you realised that you had forgotten to pack any. 

But just then you remembered the cookie that the old lady had given you. You thanked her mentally and opened it. Was it your eyes playing tricks or did the dim light of the grocery store shine brighter for a second before going dim again?

The cookie was big - enough to defeat your hunger for now. The aroma of it was instantly appetising and after you tasted it, you regretted not getting more from her. You didn’t know whether it was just your luck or a weird coincidence that the cookie tasted of your favourite flavours — butter, orange, cashew — mixed to perfect ratio. But now there wasn't any time. So you quickly started munching on it. 

When you reached the middle of it you found a piece of paper inside and exclaimed, “Ah! So it's a fortune cookie!” 

Putting the rest of the cookie in your mouth in one go, you started reading it in the car light. 

The writing was written in golden block letters on a black paper and it read — 

WHEN ROADS ARE MISLEADING AND FALSE WORDS ARE SPOKEN

IN THE RULING DARKNESS SOMEONE'S TREASURED THING MUST BE BROKEN 

“Hmm...?” You were confused. It seemed more like a riddle than a fortune. 

You read it a couple times more and then kept it in your cargo trouser pocket with a shrug because you couldn't understand what it could mean. 

Before starting your engine you looked at the moon and prayed, “Please dad, look after Jeongguk for me while I get there.” 

••• 

The road was unsettlingly dark and your car headlights couldn't pierce further than a foot through it. 

The moonlight that was brightening the surroundings with its light just a while ago seemed to have disappeared. You couldn't even see the moon anymore. 

As if it was a sign that you have entered the forbidden shortcut now.

You drove really slow in order to avoid hitting something. 

And after driving for about twenty minutes you saw it - the gas station. 

Your fuel meter's arrow was almost near empty even though you had filled it full near the junction just before leaving. 

Your brows knitted themselves together but you decided not to stop. More so because you remembered your dad’s warning. You didn’t have any business in there anyways.

While driving past it you saw a lanky old man standing at the edge of the gas station as if waiting for you to enter. And when you crossed past it you saw him in the side mirror of your car - staring right at the mirror. 

You felt like he was staring right back at you as if he knew you were looking at him. 

You felt a chilly feeling run right through your spine and you pressed onto the accelerator to get out of the vicinity of the station as soon as possible. 

Has the road always been this long? 

Your doubtful gaze wandered over to your phone and you saw that it was almost 3 in the morning; that meant you had been driving for nearly three hours now. 

You were supposed to reach The Moore Estate by this time but you couldn't seem to get out of this seemingly never ending dark road. 

Another strange occuring caught your eyes that you had forgotten all this while - your fuel. The arrow which was near the empty mark near the gas station was now hovering in the near full section, right where it should be. 

Was it your eyes playing a trick with you again or was it really a deception caused by the negative entities present there to make one enter the gas station, you wondered. 

Fearing that you might miss the turning again you slowed down even more and stopped yourself from zoning out, but just then your phone alarm went off making you jump. You had forgotten that you had set an alarm at 3:03 am - when Jeongguk had called you. 

And then you saw it - Devil's Crest. 

An arrow-shaped wooden signboard with the name etched on it in a deep red colour, that almost gave the impression of dried blood on rotten wood, was pointing towards a road that had magically branched, creating a turning — leading to an obscurity.

You stopped your car and took a deep breath. A few slow breaths later, the fear of encountering something vicious began to settle on your shoulders. 

The repeated voice of your father telling – “never take the road to Devil's Crest, never take the road to Devil's Crest” – began to reverberate inside your head so loudly that you had to sit down, hold your head and pray for it to go away. 

Why now? Why now of all times? You felt miserable as tears started wetting your lashes. 

Jeongguk! You have to find Jeongguk! You slapped your ears in an attempt to make the voice go away and started taking deep slow breaths to calm yourself down. 

That seemed to work and a few minutes later the voices inside your head had died down. 

Parking your car off the road, you took your backpack and with the flashlight in your hand you stood in front of the signboard. 

The road ahead was iniquitously eerie, and not to mention, dark just like the rest of the area. It made you uneasy and your legs revolted to move. 

You took out the phone from your pocket to see the time but just then something fell off - it was the paper from the cookie. 

You picked it up and in the flashlight you read it again instinctively - 

WHEN ROADS ARE MISLEADING AND FALSE WORDS ARE SPOKEN

IN THE RULING DARKNESS SOMEONE'S TREASURED THING MUST BE BROKEN

“When roads are misleading... Never take the road to Devil's Crest…” you mumbled a couple times. Something told you that these two sentences juxtaposing like this was not a mere coincidence and that there must be some connection and intention behind them. 

“What could it be? What could it be?” You asked yourself and swung the flashlight haphazardly around the road and then your eyes and your flashlight loosely hovered over the overgrown bushes and the trees by the side of the road to Devil's Crest and you thought, 

What if I don't take the road and still enter the Devil's Crest? 

As soon as the thought crossed your mind, your legs felt light and a small amount of fear transformed into relief. 

You made your way through the overgrown weeds and grasses in between the trees and thought to go on a parallel line along the road but as soon as you struggled your way through the undergrowth and entered the woods you couldn't see the road anymore, as if you had mistakenly entered a whole different area.

You went back to where you entered and there you saw the Devil's Crest turning and the road. There was no way you were mistaken. 

“It must be because of the darkness,” you told yourself and re-entered the doomy forest. 

You stood there for a moment, worried that it’s going to be difficult to reach the destination, no matter how unknown, if you couldn’t see the road. What if you get lost in this darkness without any way out? 

But this awry feeling at the back of your mind telling you that this was the only way was too heavy, and so with the flashlight being the only source of light, you started walking straight ahead. 

You have been walking for a while now and except the occasional hooting of the owls and a constant chirping of the crickets there was nothing to keep you company. 

You didn't know where exactly to look at since this indomitable darkness was swallowing the light of your flashlight which resulted in you seeing only about a foot around your steps, nothing more. 

You called out Jeongguk's name constantly at regular intervals but with your calls dissipating in the woods, what came back to you as a reply was the annoyed chirps of the sleepy birds. 

You avoided swinging your flashlight around the woods in fear of witnessing something scary and you cursed your brain for reminding you all the countless horror movies you have ever watched right at the moment.

Disappointed and tired, you stopped for a water break and looked at the time. You had been walking for 45 minutes now and with you walking slowly because of the protruding branches and thorns grabbing onto your pants, there seemed to be little to no progress. You looked up and the moon and the stars were still absent, the sky was still black. 

Refusing to give up or take a break you dragged yourself forward with slow steps, on an energy saving mode. 

But then you saw it. Clearly. You were not surrounded by darkness anymore. You had reached a clearing from whose center four clear trails were going four ways and everything was grey, like a black-and-white movie. The moonlight illuminating the area after appearing so suddenly took you by surprise, making you come to an abrupt stop. 

You rubbed your eyes and looked back where you just came out from — it was still lightless. 

Everything around you seemed like something from a fever dream. 

I haven’t fallen asleep in the car, have I? You pinched yourself hard and you felt it quite realistically. 

What the fuck is this place? You glanced around while rubbing the area you pinched. 

Up until you were inside the forest area it smelled like any other woodland - a little musty and damp, rotten woods, several sweet fragrance coming from trees and moist earth. But as soon as you stepped into this part there was a drastic change in the odour. It smelt like cold steel and it set a little heavier on your nose. And then you noticed another weird thing in this already weird environment — a crossroad signpost with four wooden arrows pointing at four different directions making an X, where the trails met. 

Generally, a crossroad signpost at an intersection was something that is very very normal. But here, what made it strange was its heads not pointing towards the trails, instead the areas in between. 

You took a deep breath and walked over to the post. You looked at it intently with your flashlight. They were simple wood cutouts with nothing written on them. 

What are they even pointing at? You directed your flashlight at the grassy areas and each one of the trails. The trails were wide enough for three people to walk side by side and their condition indicated that they were used for regular commute. 

Something felt off. As far as you knew, people avoided taking the shortcut altogether. As far as its bad reputation goes, it seemed highly unlikely that there would be people using these isolated areas to travel. Also, the part of the forest that you came out from didn’t have a trail going in its direction. You were standing in one of the grassy areas just like the areas in between the other trails. That could also mean that one of these trails was connected to the road to the Devil’s Crest for it to at least take the travellers somewhere closer in this area. 

Earlier, just before entering the forest you had checked on your needle compass that the road to the Devil’s Crest was headed south. It was a complete wild guess, an arrow in the darkness, but you decided to take the trail that was headed south. 

You took out your compass from your jacket pocket and faced the southward trail. 

This should be fine, right? You took a long deep breath that made your shoulder go up and down. 

You stared at the road ahead but a heavy feeling in your gut made your body immobile. It made your heart scream to your mind, “I don’t wanna go there.” Your body was stiffening itself in its place, refusing to move forward — an instinctive stance to avoid whatever danger that might be lying ahead. 

You didn’t know how many minutes had passed with you just standing there. As if to give you a nudge, a chilly wind started to blow and a gauzy fog began to settle on the ground. 

To avoid the cold you hung the flashlight on your shoulder by its strings and put both your hands in your puffer jacket pocket. 

Inside your jacket pocket you found the wrapper of the cookie that you ate earlier. You took it out and as soon as you did a gust of wind blew it out of your hand. 

The wrapper, oddly shining in this dull grey environment, flew over to the grassy area to the left side of the southward trail. Along with the wind, the still-motionless fog began to mobilise. Instinctively you dashed towards the wrapper, passing the crossroad signpost, to retrieve it. But before that, for a split second you were quite certain that you noticed the fog through your peripheral vision floating on the trails, mobilized by the wind, moving towards where the trails lead to and there was no trace of them on the rest of the areas.

After grabbing the wrapper you turned around to confirm what you just saw but what you witnessed made you falter backward and you tripped on your own foot and fell on the ground. 

I must be going crazy! What in the Alice In Wonderland shit is this? 

You broke into a cold sweat. You felt the remaining energy from your body leave like a sheet that was covering you, gliding away from you. You were nothing but an object now. 

And your surroundings were nothing but empty now.

It was as if in those past fraction of seconds you weren’t looking, someone had erased everything — there was no crosspost signboard, neither were there any trails. It was just a vast field covered in small grasses, all nothing but grey.

Sitting there you forgot that you had to be somewhere. Your numb brain couldn’t say anything to your body and you sat there staring blankly at the now-empty space in front of you. You could hear a faint constant ringing inside your ears and a slow darkness gradually took over your eyes. 

A yellow light on your eyelids, shivers all over your body and the noise of accumulated chirping made you sit up with a startle. Still heavy with sleep, you rubbed your eyes to wake yourself up properly. 

The first rays of the sun were just touching the area and you discovered the reason behind your shivers. You were sleeping on the ground, under the open sky and needless to say the dews had settled upon you alongside everything. 

You looked around your surroundings - it was the same field that you saw before passing out, except it was now full of colour. The steel-like smell was long gone, instead the air was filled with the smell of wet grass. The sun rays fell upon the dark green leafy trees of the forest that surrounded the field covered in grasses, some plump green, many golden yellow and a few parched brown. Flocks of birds flew across the sky in search of food and the wetness under you seeping through your clothes was making its presence more prominent to you.

The normality of it all made you question whether what you witnessed just a few hours ago was even real. Maybe you had dreamt all of it, you wondered. And that made more sense to you. It definitely was a dream, you concluded. You had been traveling all day and night yesterday without any proper rest and the constant anxiety, along with the trip through the forest must have taken a toll on you. 

Lying down for such a long time in such an uncomfortable position on your side with the haversack still on your back had made your body sore. You took off the haversack and stretched your limbs and massaged your shoulders to make some of the soreness go away. Rubbing your face to remove the leftover haziness from your mind, you got up to get a better view of your surroundings. You were on a comparatively higher ground, which merged to a plain with a gentle slope and you noticed in the far south which seemed hardly a kilometre away from where you were — a mansion built in the old English style. 

“Have I wandered into someone’s private property?” You wondered, even though you were pretty sure you hadn’t noticed any warnings or boundaries on your way here.

Many people didn’t like strangers wandering inside their property and the residents of this mansion could very possibly be one of those, but in this situation your best shot was to risk the chance of getting kicked out with profanities and ask about your missing boyfriend, a way out of this forest to some nearby locality and if they were kind enough, then a moment’s proper rest. 

You put on your haversack and picked up the flashlight that was lying on the ground, luckily unscathed, by your side. 

The valley was uneven like waves which could go unnoticed unless walked on, making it strenuous to cross, but the weather in the morning was really soothing, which made you feel like everything was gonna be alright, and occasionally you stopped to take a brief breather by soaking in the sun with your eyes closed. 

Before your clothes could dry up in the breeze on the way, you found yourself standing in front of the main gate of the mansion. 

The mansion, even though built in the old English style, hardly seemed historic. It was well-cared with a similarly pampered garden.

The latch of the iron gate was unclasped and a stone slab to the right of the gate on the low boundary wall read - The Balam Manor. 

You felt like you had heard the name somewhere before but you couldn’t trigger that particular part of your memory.

“Sorry for the intrusion,” you whispered before letting yourself in through the gate. 

Another sixty metres walk and you were in front of the main door. It had one of those ropes attached with a bell system instead of electronic doorbells. 

You took a deep breath and rang the bell thrice and for the next several minutes you stood there with rapid tapping feets and drifting eyes.

A very tall old man opened the door who you could swear to have seen somewhere before. You looked up and stared at his face trying to figure out this odd sense of knowing but you were soon pulled out of your rigorous digging through your brain by his question, “Yes? How may I help you?” 

“I am sorry for disturbing your perfect morning, good sir, but actually I have come looking for someone and I was wondering if you have seen that person somewhere.” You smiled awkwardly and hoped for your flattery to work to a certain extent. 

The old man scanned you once from head to toe then back to your eyes. Then turning his neck to give a quick glance inside he turned back to you and replied, “Please wait a second. I’ll be right back.” 

Hardly a minute had passed before he came back and he said, “Please take your footwear off and come inside. Our ladyship has permitted you to be invited in.” 

Wow… I never thought I would hear this type of sentence in real life. Do I have to talk like that too? You thought but all you could really say was - thank you. 

The old man led you through a short hallway whose walls were decked out with paintings varying in sizes but all equally gorgeous and weirdly had the same theme — water. 

Midway through the hall room there were two majestic curved staircases leading to the first floor, merging into one platform overhead. 

You were guided into a large lavish living room crossing the staircases, which justified the mansion of such grace. The theme colour of the room was dark navy which adorned the couches, the fireplace, the walls, the curtains and was perfectly balanced with hints of gold and light brown. 

You were mesmerized and couldn’t stop admiring the space you had entered with your mouth agape. 

“Please take a seat. Her grace will be here shortly.” Saying that, the old man disappeared into the right wing hallway of the house. 

You nodded and sat there with fidgety fingers but your eyes were still busy praising all the ornate stuff decorated meticulously.

The room, greatly flooded with sunlight seeping in through the large windows, somehow smelt cold, as if the window was just opened prior to your entrance. But soon it was overcome by the smell of a perfume that felt like a lot of flowers mixed together, almost too sweet for your delicate nose, that seemed to have drifted in earlier than its owner could. 

With the mystery not remaining in hiding any longer, the owner appeared from the right hallway and you found yourself immediately standing up in the presence of an overpowering aura. 

The lady, standing almost at a height of 6ft, was wearing a solid black mermaid gown with a side-buttoned velvet blazer that hugged her slim torso so firmly that it seemed to be doing the work of a corset instead. Her black hair was made into a 50s starlet style and her makeup, in contrast to all the darkness in her dress-up, was light peachy. 

You thought it would be rude to cover your nose in front of her but the smell of the flowers was almost dizzying. Then a second smell hit you. It was of burnt wood. It was lingering subtly in the air and there was no way for you to know where it was coming from. 

The lady gestured you to sit down and she herself sat on the single seater sofa opposite to you. 

“I heard from Duri that you came here looking for someone?” 

“Yes. Let me first apologise for inconveniencing you like this. A complete stranger showing up at your doorstep early in the morning must be bothersome.” 

“Oh, not at all. We get visitors once in a blue moon. So seeing new faces around here is actually a treat for us old souls.” 

Her amicable mood made you feel relieved and your shoulders relaxed visibly. 

“Us old souls? Ma’am, you are far too young to be called an old soul.” Your compliment made her blush.

She smiled shyly and said, “Then I guess my makeup is on point today.” 

You opened your mouth to protest with some more compliments but she started talking. 

“So who are you looking for? We actually might be of some help.” 

With hopeful eyes, you briefly told her about your boyfriend going missing on his way to Moore estate and how you had been searching for him. Intentionally you kept all the help and the supernatural things to yourself. 

“We may have good news for you. We rescued a young man yesterday around dawn at the border of our property. Would you like to visit him and see if he is the boyfriend you mentioned?” The lady asked you with a sympathetic tone. 

You jumped at the possibility and stood up, “Yes! Please! Let me see him.” 

“Sure.” The lady stood up. “Follow me.” Saying so, she started walking towards the left hallway from the entrance. You followed her gliding steps. She stopped in front of the last room, and with a quick yet heavy exhale she opened the door. 

You entered behind her and rushed to the king size bed when she made way for you. 

It was Jeongguk. It really was Jeongguk. He was lying on the bed on his back with the lower half of his body covered in a comforter. He had a white cotton henley shirt with lace string on which you recognised wasn’t his. He was breathing slowly and he had a bandage going around his head which ran through the middle of his forehead. 

You sat by his side on the floor and held his hand. You couldn’t begin to express how grateful you were. The heavy stone in your heart was finally melting and you gave in to the urge of crying that you had been holding since yesterday. 

“Thank you. Thank you for being here.” Holding his right hand, you rubbed it gently against your forehead and placed a long kiss on it. 

Seeing no response from him, worry started to settle in your mind again. You turned towards the lady and asked, “Excuse me, ma’am, what happened to him? Why isn’t he responding?” 

“Oh dear.” The lady briskly walked towards you and reached out her hand towards you. You took a few seconds to grasp what she was trying to do and then you slowly placed your hand in hers and let her guide you up towards the small couch that was seated beside the window of the room. 

Sitting so close to her, the burning smell along with the stinging flowery scent hit your nose brutally. You let out a quick cough to ease that squeezing feeling around you.

She held your hand in a sympathetic manner and began to explain, “Yesterday dawn, at around 4 am, Duri found him near our border property in the far south. He was unconscious which seemed to have resulted from him driving straight into a tree ahead. Duri brought him to our home immediately. We have an in-house doctor who treated him but he hasn’t regained consciousness since. The doctor has informed us that he is out of any life-threatening danger. He just needs to regain his consciousness. So don’t worry. He is doing better than you are giving him credit for.” 

She smiled at you but you couldn’t help but feel anxious. You glanced at Jeongguk for a mere second and asked, “Wouldn’t it be better to take him to a hospital now instead of just waiting? I am sorry. I am not trying to undermine your doctor’s judgment but it’s just that a hospital seems to be a more efficient option. So if you don’t mind, please can you tell your attendants to show me where Jeongguk’s car is? I think it'd be better if I get going right now.” 

The room was dimly lit by a candle lamp and the sunlight was playing hide and seek with the room by seeping in through the heavily drawn curtains which were slowly quivering because of the wind trying to get inside from outside. 

In that flickering light you felt like you saw the lady’s face harden for a split second before easing into an almost condescending smile, “Oh dear, you mustn’t have properly heard what I was saying earlier. I can understand. Grief, anxiety, stress do that to people. His car had driven straight ahead into a tree so it’s severely damaged. A mechanic is currently working on it in one of our warehouses.”

“Then can I at least use your phone to call an ambulance? I think that’d be an even better option anyway. He’ll start getting treatment on the way.” 

“We don’t have cellular networks here. Neither do we have a landline connection. You must have noticed that there are no electric wires near our mansion. In case of emergencies, Duri himself has to go and bring back any expert needed. I am afraid we live an exceptionally solitary life. If we had a car we could have arranged for his transportation at the earliest hour but as you can tell we are very old fashioned so we only use horses and carriages which I daresay is not the best option to have him ride on in this condition. I would suggest you to save your worry and hope that his car gets repaired soon. I’ll leave you be until then.” 

The lady, without sparing another glance, walked out of the room, leaving you wondering if you said something that offended her greatly. 

You couldn’t understand why this household would choose to live in such helpless conditions when the world has progressed so much. What if there was a life or death situation? They wouldn’t even be able to get some help. 

You sighed heavily and dragging a chair you sat near Jeongguk. You thought it would be best to just wait for his car to get repaired then get out of here as soon as possible. The people here had already gone out of their way for your boyfriend. It was rude of you to question and tell them what would be better when they were already doing their best with everything at their disposal. 

You held your boyfriend’s hand, which felt colder than it did a moment ago and said, “I should say sorry, right? I’ll be right back.” 

You placed a chaste kiss on his hand and pulled the comforter upto his neck before leaving the room to look for the lady of the house and also for the doctor; Jeongguk’s temperature wasn’t normal. 

The living room was empty. In fact, you didn’t get the hint of anybody being present throughout your way. You felt like you were the only one in the entire mansion. 

There was an eerie feeling that sat in your gut and just to confirm that weird suspicion, you ran back to the room where Jeongguk was. You let out a quick relieved sigh as soon as you saw Jeongguk, just as you had left him. 

You let your body let itself find comfort in the cushiony chair and you decided to look for others a little later. You told yourself that no matter how detached this place was from the rest of the world, the people living here still have work to do. They couldn’t loiter around some unannounced guest all the time. 

•••

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, the atmosphere was quite grim for Lady Ruth Livingston and her loyal servant Duri. 

This kitchen was located in an extended part of the mansion, outside the main building and could only be accessed through a secret passage built along the rear side wall of the building. Apparently, according to her husband, Mr. Yi Jaejoong, kitchen inside a home ruins the vibe of the home. The secret passageway, while serving as a regular route for the servants for accessing the different parts of the manor like the kitchens, the laundry rooms and the servant quarters, also served the role of an escapeway and had a backdoor for emergency exit if there was any danger. Although, there was no way of telling the back door from the outside since it was camouflaged with the entire wall — much like the windows that were lined up with the windows of the main living room, creating optical illusions of a singular wall in place of two. 

After leaving you alone inside the mansion, Lady Ruth had immediately made her way towards the kitchen with a grave expression on her face. As soon as she neared the kitchen, Duri, who was preparing meat for jjigae, brought the cushioned mahogany chair that was only used by his owner and kept it near the entrance, outside the kitchen — for the lady had a deep distaste for heat.

“Are you quite done with the preparations?” Lady Ruth asked after taking her seat. 

Duri, who had immediately taken his position near his lady’s feet, sat kneeling down while supporting his hips on his ankles for some comfort. 

He slowly shook his head and answered, “Not really, milady. It seems preparing physical food is quite the task.” 

“Then summon some minions and get it done at the earliest. The lass is getting on my nerves. I can’t figure out how she ended up here!” 

“Surely, milady.” Duri gave a polite nod. 

“Are you keeping something from me?” Seeing his owner leaning towards him, Duri gulped and then stuttered, “I- I saw her last night driving past the station.” 

“Did you do what you were supposed to?” With her face awfully close to Duri’s, she ran a single line with her cold index finger from near Duri’s ear across, over his jaw line. 

“I d- did, milady. But she never stopped for gas!” Noticing the little tremors running through Duri’s hand, Lady Ruth smirked. 

“Must I remind you that your job is to lead people into the Devil’s Crest no matter how! You must feed them or their belongings. If you don’t do your job properly how am I supposed to take care of myself? You are not supposed to slack off, Duri. See what happened, just because you let someone off the hook and they didn’t stop at your stupid little gas station! This must mean you have let a good number of souls just go by without me knowing!” 

Duri’s lips trembled. “I… I- I am extremely sorry, milady. It won’t ever happen again. P- Please I beg for your forgiveness.” 

“Oh, Duri… I wish it was this easy for me to forgive. One must punish disobedient pets to make sure they don’t repeat the same mistake twice. You have been ignorant while knowing what I feel. And more times than you should be forgiven for. I think I must remind you again what it feels like to be me so you could be more diligent next time.” 

Lady Ruth Livingston snaked her left hand behind Duri’s neck and held his jaw firmly with her other hand and placed her lips on his. In her firm hold, Duri couldn’t protest. He closed his eyes as he felt her tongue touch his and her fingers pressed on the binding emblem on his neck. Duri winced as a fast burning sensation spread across his entire body. The mild sensation soon turned into a blazing fire all over his body. Duri’s screams got lost somewhere inside Lady Ruth’s mouth. 

By the time it ended, Duri had no energy to even stay seated. In barely a minute, he was half his usual body and his skin developed new wrinkles.

Looking at Duri’s wheezing body on the floor, Lady Ruth wiped her lips and said, “My husband would have been so heartbroken if he saw me shoving my tongue down some other man’s throat.” She smiled and gently stroked Duri’s hair, “I am so glad that he is dead.” 

Duri weakly glanced at her but couldn’t say anything. 

Seeing him like that, Lady Ruth got up and said, “My poor Duri. I’ll summon the minions in your stead to have the lunch prepared in time. She has a strong aura. Her distress will ease my pain like no other.” 

•••

“When do you think you’ll be able to come and visit my parents?” You asked and smiled bashfully, imagining Jeongguk asking your parents for your hand in marriage. 

“I seriously can’t wait, babe. I just want to run to you right now and take you in my arms and kiss you until you get tired of it!” Jeongguk exclaimed, hardly being able to contain his happiness or excitement.

“You mean until forever ends?” You replied. 

“Mhm. Yes, that’s exactly how long I am planning.” You could feel Jeongguk’s smile through the call. 

“You have to get here first though.”

“I’m getting out right now! How am I going to wait for seven whole hours? Hm? My sweetest wifey?” 

“Woah. Not yet, mister.”

“Soon to be. Soon to be~.” 

“Yes… Very soon. But you don't have to rush. You can just come here on the weekend. Otherwise your boss will give you an earful.” 

“But-” 

“No ‘buts’. I promise I'll be fine. And it's just three days anyways.” 

“Hmph. Okay. Fine. I love you.”

“I love you too.” 

That fateful morning everything in your little world in Moore Estate changed when you found out you were pregnant. When you called Jeongguk to let him know, he reciprocated the same happiness as you felt. You felt like a large part of your empty heart was filling up. 

But soon everything took an upsetting turn when you received a call from Hoseok’s sister that same evening about Hoseok going missing. 

A couple of months ago Hoseok had moved into a mansion in the outskirts that a long-distance uncle of his had left for him in his will. Hoseok had been in a hurry to move out and get married so he had leaped at the offer and wanted to move in as soon as possible to remodel the mansion. After that, communication with him gradually became scarce which you just ruled out as him being busy remodeling the house. 

You wanted to visit his mansion right away but when you called Jeongguk to let him know about the situation he strictly opposed it and insisted on accompanying you there. 

Your estate fell on the way to Hoseok’s new place, though it was still a considerable distance away. So you had suggested to Jeongguk to pick you up from your estate and then both of you could go there together. 

Now all of it screamed wrong decision and you blamed yourself for not warning your boyfriend beforehand. 

•••

“Excuse me, milady. Her grace is waiting for you in the living room. Please let me lead you. We have prepared some refreshments.” Your remorseful revisitation to that day was interrupted by Duri who was standing at the door. 

“Sure.” You got up. You looked back at Jeongguk and said, “I’ll be right back.” 

You followed Duri — who appeared a bit worn out and definitely older than he seemed that morning — to the living room. You sat on a two seater sofa opposite the lady of the house; the ornate low table in front of you was filled with a huge variety of cookies and a cup of ginseng tea was kept in front of you. 

“I am really sorry. I feel like it was really rude of me how I talked to you earlier. You are not obliged to but you are still helping us so much. I can’t even begin to thank you. Please tell me how I can make it up to you?” You said, thinking it was only fair to apologise since she only offered what she thought was best. 

“We can start with introductions. I am Ruth Amelia Livingston.” Lady Ruth took her cup of tea from the table and signalled you to take yours before taking a sip. 

You stammered before answering, surprised at her instant acceptance of your apology, “S- sure. I am Park Sowon.” 

“That’s a beautiful name. I have never really liked my name, so my husband always lovingly called me Balam. He used to say that I am ungraspable like the wind.” Putting the hot cup on the plate in her left hand she smiled sadly. 

“Used to? He doesn’t anymore?” You asked without thinking.

“Well, yes. I wish you could meet him. He was a jolly man. When he was alive, this building felt alive too. He took its life with him when he left for the afterworld.” 

“I am sorry… for your loss. It must be really hard losing the love of your life… I can’t even begin to imagine how I am going to continue to live on if something happens to Jeongguk.” Your voice cracked remembering the fact that you almost did. 

“Well, you learn to live with the pain… I loved him alright. But he… loved me more. I daresay I am rather thankful that he didn’t live to see my death.” Her nonchalant words left you momentarily speechless. 

Before the atmosphere could get awkward you said, smiling thinly, “Accepting to be in sorrow rather than letting your loved one live in that situation is an act of tremendous love in itself. I think you love your husband as much as he used to.”

“Oh my, aren’t you a charmer? Thank you, dear. You are the first person whose words comforted me so deeply since my husband’s passing.” She kept her right hand on yours and looked at you with a warm smile, unlike her frigid hands; you noticed her tears staying at the edge of her eyelid margin. 

“I think I should apologise too.” She continued after sitting straight. 

You looked at her questioningly while picking up the third cookie from the plate. 

“As I told you earlier, we live in a completely different world than yours. And I was inconsiderate of your feelings, quite shamefully so. You were right in getting worried. And I only thought of how I have always handled things here. I am sorry for that.” 

“No please, it’s alright. I can see your point of view now. Thank you for being so kind again.” You paused. Something stirred inside you, like a big sadness that had been dormant for a long time at the bottom of your heart seeping out slowly. 

“Actually, I have lost someone precious to me too, a long time ago, in a very similar incident. Perhaps that’s the reason why I have been so sensitive.”

You glanced at her as if you needed a moment before uttering the words, “It was my father.” The last word got mingled with the sadness stuck in your throat. 

“Oh dear, what happened to him?” Lady Ruth kept her empty cup on the table and looked at you with concern. 

You looked at her but your eyes couldn’t see her anymore — you were taken back to the time that you hated remembering the most. 

•••

Winter was just beginning to settle itself in the early October air when one night your dad had suddenly showed up at your boarding school and filled out a form requesting your emergency leave for a week. 

Be it for his whimsical nature or his adventurous mind, on numerous occasions he had taken you to many such impromptu trips. Despite being so used to such endeavours of your most favourite person in the world, your fifteen year old self couldn’t help but take notice of the anxiousness that his face wore that night. You knew almost instantaneously that this wasn’t one of your trips. 

After an hour-long train ride from the city, you got off at the nearest train station from your locality. But as soon as you did so, your dad took you directly to the car parked in the parking lot of the station — which was unusual since your dad always bought you pretzels from a particular store after getting off there. 

Luckily, unlike other times you didn’t feel hungry as an old lady with long white hair who was sitting on the opposite seat to yours offered two cookies each to you and your dad, but your dad being too anxious to eat had given you his share as well. 

“We don’t have much time so I am going to step on it, alright? Hold tight.” Your dad had said before racing straight into the shortcut that no one knew the name of and no one bothered to keep one either — for everyone it was just a shortcut that everyone should avoid. 

Why is dad taking this dark road? You couldn’t help but feel concerned. 

The only things that provided little comfort were that it was your dad you were with, and the speed at which he was driving to take you home soon. 

Soon you had passed the very same gas station that you had no idea that you would be crossing again eleven years later. 

Your dad had told you some things about the gas station that you took as nothing more than a joke to lighten the atmosphere. 

When you reached home at around 2am, the churning feeling inside your gut gave away its reason for being. 

You saw your mom, your aunt-in-law, your grandparents and all the people that worked in your estate gathered in the hallroom with grave expressions. As soon as you entered the room your grandmother had taken you into her embrace and weeped. 

“What’s going on?” You had asked. 

Before anyone could answer you, you felt your dad’s hand on your shoulder and you turned around. He sat you on the sofa and crouching down on his knee he held your hands, “Sweetheart, your uncle is missing along with his friend… And I must go find them and bring them back.” 

“But what about the police?” 

“It’s my responsibility… I must be the one to go. The police won’t be of much help anyways. Don’t worry, I will surely bring them back. You just have to be the absolute sweetheart as you are and stay with your mom, alright?” Saying so, your dad stood up and with a slight nod at everyone, he walked out of the house. 

You couldn’t stand watching him go away like that so you yanked your hand out of your mom’s and ran after him. 

He was just about to get into his car but he stopped when he heard you call him. You ran and hugged him tightly, “Take me with you, please dad. It will be faster if we look together, won’t it? I am sure we will be able to spot them quicker and be back home even before dawn breaks. Dad? Please say something!” 

Your dad broke himself out of your hug and sat on the car seat. He gently wiped the tears off of your face and kissed your forehead and murmured, “My sweet angel… I have already put your uncles in danger because of my foolishness… How can I put you in a similar situation when I know what might lie ahead…” 

His words sent an uneasy fear down your spine but he didn’t let you question him. Instead he immediately held your arms and looked into your eyes with a serious expression, “Promise me, you'll never take the shortcut after midnight! And even if you do you won't stop anywhere in the middle. And no matter what happens you won't take the road to Devil's Crest!” 

You shook your head, “Only if you promise to come back by morning.” 

Your dad smiled sadly and nodded, “Yeah. I’ll be back soon.”

You wiped his tears gently and as the other family members started to come out, you quickly whispered, “It’s not your fault, dad.” 

Seeing the others, he hurriedly got into his car. He placed a chaste kiss on the back of your hand and before driving off he said, “I love you, sweetheart.”

Your “I love you too” subsided in the ground with the descending mist. 

•••

You lowered your face into your palms trying to stop the streaming of warm tears into your warm hands.

You had no idea when Lady Ruth had sat beside you but when you felt her hand gently stroking your hair and back, you looked up at her and wiped your wet cheeks, “I am sorry. I didn’t mean to bawl my eyes out like this.” You chuckled, “It’s just that I suddenly miss him so much.” 

Lady Ruth smiled awkwardly, “Do you know why people avoid the shortcut?”

You shook your head.

“There’s a rumour that plagues this area… that a witch haunts the shortcut road and its surroundings. That she takes people's souls to feed herself. Many people have gone missing over the years, fueling the rumour, eventually forcing people to avoid this area altogether.” 

“Have you seen that witch?” You asked as goosebumps lined your skin. 

Lady Ruth scoffed, “No, I haven’t. Though Duri has witnessed some gruesome murders by poachers who come to the forest to hunt for the rare pangolins but encounter humans instead. Sometimes one or two lucky humans make it out of their harsh luck…” She paused. Then looking in your eyes she said, “Eleven years ago one such human sought refuge in our home. He was badly injured and he did his best to hold up for a week. But we couldn’t avoid the misfortune. His… name was Park Yunseok.” 

For a moment you felt like there was a heavy stone placed on your head and you were drowning. You couldn’t breath and your ears rang a constant tone. 

Your face contorted as you dug up the word from inside your throat, “D-Dad?” 

“I am afraid so…” Lady Ruth said. “Would you like to visit his grave?” 

Did you? You didn’t have the courage — neither to find the answer to your question, nor to face your father’s resting place. 

But I should. Otherwise how would your dad feel that you came this near and didn’t visit him?

“I should.” You replied. 

“Yeah.” Lady Ruth smiled faintly and stroked your hair one more time before getting up. 

You walked behind Lady Ruth and Duri as they led you to the south-east part of their property. After walking for a few minutes through their immaculately taken care of and beautifully designed garden, you reached a small perfectly mowed yard. At the end of the yard, there was a small patch of land that was covered in gerbera daisies and in the middle you saw your dad’s grave housed in marble and an epitaph - rising a foot above the ground - that said — 

HERE LIES THE MAN WHO GRACED THE EARTH WITH THE SMILE MOST BEAUTIFUL

PARK YUNSEOK

PUT TO REST - 17 OCTOBER OF YEAR 2131 

You sat beside his grave and smiled looking at the daisies surrounding it, “He must have told you about his favourite flower..” You looked up at Lady Ruth and said, “Thank you. I know he… likes it here.” 

You looked down immediately to hide your fresh batch of tears and requested quickly, “Can I have a moment with him alone, please?” 

“Of course, my dear. We’ll be going back to the house. Take your time.” You didn’t look up as you nodded but you could feel them leaving. 

A few minutes passed with you staring at the ground then you slowly looked to your back to make sure they were far enough. 

You slowly looked back and touched the grave — first with just the tip of your fingers and then with your palm. Despite the sun over your head the stone was cold and you started stroking it gently. 

“Dad… Is it cold in there? I am sorry… I couldn’t arrange for your cremation or hold a proper funeral for you. Still I am glad that you met some decent people to be there for you in your last moments and they made you a nice place to rest. Don’t worry. I’ll be a good girl and thank them properly.” 

You paused to take a deep breath and as it slowly left your lungs in a shaky exhale, your chest hurt as if thousand hammers were going off at once. 

The fatigue of all of the years you were looking for your dad came crashing down on you all at once — the memories of going through the tireless four years of nosebleeding university life, becoming an official detective, tolerating the prejudices, swallowing the scoldings for trying to gather information about your dad’s whereabouts, being told off for using police resources and time for personal use and finally quitting the job to look for him independently — like a tsunami.

“Dad…” Another shaky breath escaped your lungs and you couldn’t control your tears anymore. “I am… I am sorry dad… I should have been there for you. It must have been so hard for you to not see any of us in your last moments. I am sorry dad. I wish it was me instead of you. Dad, I miss you so much…” You didn’t care if your voice was going to disturb the noiseless peace around here, you wailed calling your dad and hugged the grave as much as you could. The tears streaming down your cheeks mixed with your running nose wetted the grave and the coldness of the stone felt a little warm. 

“Dad.. dad… can’t you ask God for a second chance? Can’t you beg him to send you back in time? That way you could prevent that awful night from happening and you could see me grow up and get married to Jeongguk and play with your grandkids… That way mom wouldn’t be sad and mom wouldn’t marry Jiho and I wouldn’t have to call him ‘dad’... I hate it when mom forces me to call him dad in front of others… I hate it. He is not my dad. No one can ever take your place, dad. Please come back, dad. And tell me that you are proud of me and I grew up just the way you hoped I would. Dad… Dad? Please say something. Call me and wake me up from this nightmare… Dad…” Your breath hitched and you started having trouble breathing because of your blocked nose. The pain in your chest increased and you felt sick in your stomach. 

You stood up and ran outside the flower patch and vomited everything that you had eaten a while ago. You felt dizzy and a burning irritation shot up from your throat to your nose to your brain. With weak steps, you reached the grave and hugged it to get some rest and a much sought comfort. 

••• 

From the window of her bedroom, which was located at the far south-east of the manor, Ruth Livingston was watching you with her vintage brass binoculars. Her lips twitched at its corner and her eyes gleamed in ecstasy. 

Never peeling her eyes away from you she addressed her loyal servant Duri who was standing upright by the door and exclaimed, “Tch tch. Poor thing. Crying, wailing, writhing in pain… all on a grave that’s not even real.” 

Her laughter resounded throughout her bedroom and she felt an unparalleled joy, “If just watching her like this is this satisfying, then imagine how wonderful I am going to feel when she becomes a part of my collection? She should be ready by now. Go, bring her. I can’t wait anymore.” 

“Right away, your grace.” Duri replied and turned to leave. 

But right then her shout compelled Duri to turn back around instantaneously, “NO! No no no! Don’t! Don’t ruin my happiness, you disgusting vile little rat! Duri! Look at her! She is vomiting all the feeds! She is emptying her guts on my beautiful flower beds! Bring her back at once!” 

•••

You must have fallen asleep after getting tired because of the physical and emotional toll all the crying took on your body. When you woke up you found yourself lying down on the couch in Jeongguk’s room. 

You sat up slowly and softly placed your palms on your swollen eyes. The darkness of the room made you wonder how long you have been out of it. 

Jeongguk was still unconscious. As you watched him from your position it was hard to even tell whether he was breathing or not. 

You got up and sat near Jeongguk. His body temperature was still on the colder perimeter; the only thing that somewhat assured you was his slow breathing. 

You held his hand as tears accumulated in your eyes again. 

I don’t think I can survive losing someone again.

••• 

“Ah! This is so amusing! Ha ha ha!” Swaying in her armchair, Ruth Livingston laughed like she hadn't in a very long time. 

“Duri, you never told me it was this enthralling to catch prey! I am thinking of joining you from now on. On that note, prepare a scrumptious feast for her. I want her to be well fed so that she has the energy to cry a little more! Ah! I didn't expect her to react like that… Now I have to make another miscarriage potion, which is going to take a while. It’s a little setback that I cannot have her with an untainted soul living inside her but that only means I can play with her a little longer. Prepare that thing beforehand so I can give it to her after lunch.”

Duri bowed deeply and silently left the room to carry out the order he was given. 

•••

When you were at the hospital, a few years back, because of appendix surgery, the nurses and the doctors constantly came to check up on you and feed you medicine at designated times. What reminded you of that time was the fact that it had been almost seven hours since you came here and you hadn't seen the doctor — that lady Ruth doted on so much — visit Jeongguk even for once!   

It was worrisome. You didn't want to keep Jeongguk in such a neglectful situation when you didn't have any idea how severe his injuries were. 

His body was getting colder by the minute and his appearance turned paler; it didn't even feel like a living person's body anymore. 

I have to pressure the mechanic myself to repair Jeongguk's car within today, preferably before the sun sets.

You kept Jeongguk's hand down by his side gently and got out of the room. Duri was standing right outside the door which startled you. As soon as he saw you he politely said, “It’s time for lunch, milady. I have come to escort you.” 

“Oh! Thank you, sir.” You replied immediately. 

Tch! I should have denied and asked him to lead me to the mechanic.

“Please call me Duri. I am not to be addressed as ‘sir’ by a guest of this manor.” Duri said in his usual stoic manner. 

You didn’t want to argue on ways this household worked so you just decided to ask him about the whereabouts of the mechanic instead, “Oh… Okay. By the way, Duri, can you tell me where the warehouse is where Jeongguk’s car is getting fixed?” 

There was a moment’s pause before he replied, “I must have her grace’s permission before taking you there, milady. You can ask her for yourself at the table.” 

“That I shall do then.” You replied and nodded your head to yourself. 

You were led into the dining room where Lady Ruth was already seated. The long and finely polished Indian rosewood dining table with a capacity to seat fourteen people, in the middle of the room, painted in a combination of matte orange and Carolina blue, had long fallen from its prime with only Lady Ruth being its sole user. 

It was indeed a surprise to you — you didn’t know what you were expecting but it was certainly not her words being true about the only three residents of this vast mansion.

I would be out of my wits if I had to live alone like this in a single place. 

After you took your seat, Duri started bringing in dishes one by one and it felt like his trips from the food trolley to the dining table were never ending. Before long, the table was filled with delicacies, most of which you were seeing for the first time. 

“Please dig in. Duri here is no less than a Michelin chef.” Lady Ruth said with a proud smile. 

Your eyes travelled over all the dishes that covered the table and you couldn’t imagine how Duri managed to prepare all these single handedly in such a short time especially taking into consideration the fact that it took you at least one hour to prepare only three dishes. 

You took a bite from the savory appetiser placed right in front of you. Your head immediately turned towards Duri who was standing by the food trolley and you exclaimed with big eyes, “Duri, this is seriously so delicious! With this skill you should consider becoming a professional chef! You would totally kill it!” 

A bewildered expression flashed on Lady Ruth’s face which you luckily caught instantly and you corrected yourself immediately, “I mean not literally kill anything. It’s a figure of speech that people use nowadays to say that someone would be outstandingly good at something. Ha ha. Please don’t misunderstand.” 

There wasn’t much of a muscle movement on Duri’s face and you were relieved when you saw the proud smile on her lips returning, “That’s a dangerous figure of speech. Anyway, I told you so. Though I don’t know if he’ll be wanting to leave me alone here.” 

You quickly glanced at Duri, then to Lady Ruth and said, “I am sure he isn’t willing to.” 

Lady Ruth didn’t say anything but the smile did grow a little. 

You waited for a moment to pass before asking, “By the way, your grace, if possible I would like to meet the mechanic to know how the repair is going. Gguk’s… I mean Jeongguk’s condition is worsening and I am sorry if I sound rude but I haven’t seen your doctor visit him even once since I arrived…” 

Lady Ruth swallowed the food in her mouth and looked at Duri, “Duri?” 

“Doctor Jung stopped by twice to check on Miss Park’s boyfriend since morning — once when your graces were having tea and the second time when Miss Park was not conscious. He also checked up on Miss Park while he was there and said that he’d talk to her when she is awake.” All this while Duri answered looking at Lady Ruth and his eyes never wavered your way, not even when he mentioned your name in front of you as if you were not present in the same room. His behaviour was telling you how insignificant you were to a mere servant of this manor and that you should watch how you speak with the master of this very manor. You couldn’t refute, as the guilt of your own words felt heavier on your tongue than the insult on your chest. 

“I am sorry. I didn’t know.” You managed to raise your voice a notch higher than a mumble. 

“Please don’t worry about it. People behave in a lot of ways when they are not informed about certain situations. Especially when they are desperate. So I can understand you. Duri will take you to the warehouse after lunch. Please finish your meal.” After saying this to you with her voice as calm as ever she went back to eating. 

Both of you ate silently, and soon you had finished everything that was served to you, which was, considering your regular eating capacity, quite excessive. 

After the table was cleared, you were led to the living room. Duri brought an envelope on a small tray. Lady Ruth took the envelope and handed it to you and said, “Your father… left this with us.” 

Even before you could open the envelope, tears accumulated in your eyes. You sat down and wiped your wet eyes before taking out the note. 

It was a short letter written on a torn diary page. 

My sweet angel, the light of my life, 

Please forgive this cruel dad of yours for not keeping the promise he made. I am sorry that I had to leave like that and now… I am leaving again… I wish I could see you one last time. 

The letter ended abruptly. You flipped to see if there’s anything more but there wasn’t. You checked the envelope and found a polaroid inside it which was a picture of you and him, that was taken on your fifth birthday picnic, that he always kept in his wallet. 

The heaviness inside your throat was back again and you found it hard to breathe. Not wanting to put the burden of consoling you on your hosts, you said as your voice trembled, “I’ll excuse myself to Jeongguk’s room. Sorry.” 

You darted out of there and couldn’t notice the slight nod that Lady Ruth gave you, nor the light crooked smile that formed on her lips. 

Entering the room, you closed the door behind you and let yourself slide down its length. Your chest hurt. The pain hung on your rib cages like rotten branches and no matter how much you pounded on them to make them go away, they didn’t. Defeated, you hugged your knees close to yourself and cried on them and there was only one thought that reverberated throughout your brain. 

Dad, please come back. 

In search of comfort, you went to sit on the chair kept beside Jeongguk. Holding his cold hands you kept your head on the bed. Your fingers fiddled with his pale ones and your unceasing tears wetted his bedsheet. You wished he would wake up any time now and would hug you until you felt better. 

Your tears slowed down as minutes went by and your line of vision got clearer. But the person who came in after swinging the door open with all his might made you rub your eyes for a good moment to get the clearest view because how the hell is Hoseok here?

You sat up straight but you were too dumbstruck to stand up and react in a way you would when you saw him normally. 

“Wonwon! Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere? Wonwon speak to me!” You could faintly hear him enquire you while checking your pulse. You were too busy processing the sense of familiarity that you had been seeking all this while to answer him. The sound of his nickname for you — that he had given you when you two were just little kids with runny noses in preschool because pronouncing ‘Sowon’ was too much for him — fell on your ears like holding a warm mug of cocoa in a freezing winter evening.

When the layer of daze wore off you hugged him tightly and exclaimed, “I am… totally fine… now! I am just so so happy to see you, Hoba! So happy! Are you even real? I am not seeing things, am I? How are you even here in the first place?” 

Hoseok sighed in relief and breaking out of your hug he smiled, “What do you mean ‘how’? I live here!” 

After he made you sit back on the chair he sat on the floor and said, “I sent you my address, don’t you remember?” 

Hearing him say that, you finally remembered the text he sent you with his location just before moving in — The Balam Manor, Witch’s Cradle.

No wonder the name seemed so familiar when you read it initially at the entrance. 

But you still had many questions that needed to be answered so you asked him, “I remember now. But your sister called and told me that they couldn’t reach you for many days. You must have sent them your location, haven’t you?” 

“Really?” Hoseok looked puzzled. “I have sent them my location, I remember for sure. Have they gone to the wrong place? And moreover, I couldn’t reach them for a few days now, so I was thinking of visiting them, but we found Jeongguk and I couldn’t just leave him like this.” 

“Wait, Hoba! You said you inherited this mansion and you were going to renovate it… Then what’s Lady Ruth doing here?” 

“Oh… that?” Hoseok smiled awkwardly; you thought he even looked a little sad. “There’s been a mix up. I did inherit it kind of but Aunty Ruth, my uncle’s wife, is still alive, and even though uncle had written it off to me, aunty still has some right on it so it was decided that this floor will be aunty’s for as long as she lives. And the remaining floors above, that is, the first and second, are mine.” 

“Are you okay? What about Ji-a? Is she okay with this?” You asked. 

“Well, you know her. She is a bit taken aback. But the good thing is that she said she will prepare her mind about this situation and join me in a few days and help me with the renovations.” 

“Well Ji-a has always been a sensible one!” You smiled. 

“Just like her boyfriend.” Hoseok smiled smugly. 

“Yeah, of course.” You scoffed and rolled your eyes.

“So you are the in-house doctor that Lady Ruth mentioned!” You squinted your eyes playfully at Hoseok.

“Is that how she talked about me?” He asked. “Well, can’t blame her. She didn’t know that we knew each other. Not gonna lie that I don’t feel a little bad though… She still hasn't fully accepted me. That’s understandable as well. Imagine someone you never heard of comes and says that your dead husband has given your home to them! I would totally go berserk. She still is willing to cooperate.” 

“Yeah…” Your voice trailed off. After Hoseok’s comment about ‘dead husband’ you could barely pay attention to what he was saying as your eyes wandered to Jeongguk and the ache in your chest was back. 

Hoseok followed your eyes and held your hands, “Wonwon… don’t worry. He has made it out of the most critical phase. Just give him some time, he will get better. I am taking care of him.” 

“Hoba…” Your voice trembled as you looked back at your best friend. “I don’t doubt your skill but look at him… How much more time do you think we should spend on just letting him lie down here like this? He is getting paler and colder. If it wasn’t for his slow breaths I would have thought I had lost him… Please Hoba, we have to get him to a hospital!” 

Your words put Hoseok in deep thought. After a brief moment of silence he sighed and said, “You are right. No matter how much effort I put in it won’t be enough. There’s no suitable equipment here as there would be in a hospital. I heard Jeongguk’s car is in the warehouse. Do you want to go check on its status?” 

You stood up immediately and said, “That’s what I have been trying to do since before lunch! Let’s go at once!” 

“Let me lead you there, milady.” Hoseok smiled. 

“I see Duri has rubbed off on you.” You laughed. And Hoseok laughed back and tried to mimic Duri, “Is that so, milady?”

The warehouse was behind the manor in the north. It was a big wooden building, or one could say a humongous room with a slanting wooden roof that could house at least twenty SUV cars with enough space to open doors fully in between them. It seemed like a total waste of space to see a single car with a tattered front being repaired at the side. 

When you two walked up to the car, a person wearing a grey vest and black mechanic pants emerged from under the vehicle. 

Seeing you two, he got up and waved at Hoseok, “Hey, Dr. Jung! Good to see you!” 

His accent was of the city that suddenly felt so out of place here and no matter how much you tried to shake it off, you couldn’t help but think that he looked like the Korean version of Vin Diesel. 

Hoseok extended his hand for a handshake but he refused, showing his hands laced with car grease and oil. Then he asked Hoseok with a smile, “And who this pretty lady here might be?” 

“She is the girlfriend of the owner of the car you are fixing, Park Sowon.” Hoseok answered him.

“Ouch! There goes my chance for a date night. Anyways, it’s a pleasure to meet you Sowon-ssi! This humble man’s name is Lim Seokga. But you can lovingly call me Seok.” He smiled and bowed like a gentleman. 

“It’s nice to meet you too Seokga-ssi.” In reality all you wanted to say was - You are a mile away from humbleness Mr. Lim, like you should be from me.

You bowed back slightly and smiled awkwardly. You looked at Hoseok and pleaded with your eyes to rescue you from these unsolicited flirtations. 

He seized your signal like a spy would from his fellow in espionage and he grinned at Seokga and pretended to whisper as if he was trying to be his wingman, “Seokga-ssi, Sowon-ssi is a bit tense right now. Why don’t you show off your skills and explain the condition of the car to her?” 

Seokga gave Hoseok a smirk of approval and turned around to face the dinged up car. You noticed a symbol that almost looked like a fancy tattoo branded on his neck that started at the top of his neck and ran a couple inches along his spine. The burnt mark seemed sizzling fresh as if he had it done a few minutes ago and somehow you could feel the pain that it must have inflicted to come into existence.

Seokga kept his hand on the bonnet of the car and started explaining, “Anyways, Sowon-ssi, date night or not, I must do my job. You have come to know about the condition of the car, right? In short terms, it’s not really good. I am quite embarrassed to say this but it can only be repaired at the showroom. It’s not a one person job.” 

You felt anger bubble up at the pit of your throat. You felt like you had been standing in a long queue for half a day in front of an empty shop. 

You tried to sound as calm as you could, “So you're telling me you have been working on this car for a full day knowing that you can’t fix it?” 

“Full day? I arrived just this morning! And I never said I can’t fix it. I said I need manpower and the facilities.” Seokga tried to defend his honour behind his cheeky answer. 

You knew better than to argue with a man like him.

“Ridiculous!” You muttered under your breath and gritted teeth before leaving the warehouse with hurried strides. 

When you walked in, Lady Ruth was in the living room instructing Duri about the arrangement of your stay for the night. 

“I am afraid, your grace, I don’t think I can stay for the night. If I take off now I can bring an ambulance back with me at earliest tonight.” You announced. 

Lady Ruth stared at you for a good few seconds as if trying to make sense of the nonsense you just sputtered out. 

“I think that would have been for the best. He needs better care but I am afraid I have some bad news for you. It seems that a tempest is expected this evening. I don’t think it would be wise to set out now.” She said calmly. 

The bewilderment from a moment ago hadn’t yet dissipated from within you and hearing this now, you felt terribly angry, as if you were being held captive. You looked out the window and exclaimed, “The weather seems totally fine to me! There isn’t even a single dark cloud in the sky yet! It didn’t take me long to reach here. I am certain if you don’t stall me further I will be able to make it out of here before the storm catches up!” 

You looked at Lady Ruth, who was staring at you with an unreadable expression. It was as if she wasn’t present there at the moment. You stood there like you had just yelled at your mother and couldn’t decide whether you should apologise or not.

You felt a light jab at your side and you looked at Hoseok who was signalling you to apologise, which made you realise that you had strangely forgotten about his existence for the past few minutes. 

It’s like someone put several ice cubes on your hot head and the fizzing sensation urged you to apologise for your unnecessary rudeness to the lady who was everything but helping you. 

You turned to look at Lady Ruth whose expression gave the impression that she was back to this room. 

“I- I am sorry, your grace… I didn’t mean to say it like that. It’s just that the mechanic really got on my nerves and I involuntarily took out my frustration on you. I apologise for being an impudent brat.” 

You waited for her to reply and a few seconds passed when suddenly an intensely bright lightning struck the ground outside followed by a deafening sound which made you jump out of your skin and you felt goosebumps all over. 

Heavy rainfall soon followed, accompanied with mad gusts of wind and roaring thunder. Duri, with quick steps, closed all the windows and disappeared down the right hallway to probably close the rest of the windows. Seeing him, you ran to Jeongguk’s room to close the window. 

Rain was wetting the curtains and there was already a pool forming on the floor. You scurried over to close the window sills. There were a number of things you should consider when walking on a wet floor and the first one was to never hurry, which you did, and the next thing you knew was that you slipped and hit something real hard — the pain at the back of your head was the last thing you felt before blacking out. 

Your consciousness started coming back to you slowly, like a weekend morning after a good night’s sleep. You pulled the blanket closer to you as you let yourself stay like that in the comfort of the bed. In the back of your head, you felt like you were forgetting something. Then it dawned upon you like a weekday morning after a late night’s sleep. You sat up abruptly and stayed like that for a couple minutes to let your brain return to normal from the sudden dizziness. 

You slowly got out of the bed and noticed that you were wearing an off-white lace full-sleeved midi nightgown. The back of your head hurt and you had a bandage wrapped around your head. Instinctively, you touched your head while looking around the beige and sage green themed bedroom — it was well-lit with candles and it didn’t have any windows so you couldn’t tell what hour of the day it was. The shock made you run into the bathroom attached to the room. In the mirror you saw yourself and thought no wonder your head felt so light — there was not a single strand of hair on your head. 

What the fuck! How could they?

You left the room to find Hoseok to get an explanation behind your shaved head, and you noticed that you had been in the room next to Jeongguk’s. The hallway was lit with fire torches, and through the window at the end of the hallway you could see that it was already night and the rain was still falling, although its vigour had lessened a lot from before.

You slowly walked into Jeongguk’s room. The floor was dry and in the light of the candles Jeongguk’s pale body looked livelier than he looked that afternoon. His breaths seemed more stable now. 

You sat near him and softly brushed his hair with your fingers and whispered, “Please wake up soon. I can’t do this without you.” 

You walked through the torch-lighted hallway to find Hoseok. You passed the living room and entered the right hallway. The very first room had its door open and it seemed like a study. You saw Lady Ruth in a dark green silk maxi nightgown half-lying on a dark brown wool sofa reading a thick book. 

You thought that it would be better to ask her about Hoseok’s whereabouts than wandering these colossal halls yourself. You knocked on the door to get her attention and she immediately looked at you and sat up, “Sowon, you are up! Please come in!” 

You entered the room and sat on one of the two single-seater sofas. 

The room was brown themed and smelt of old books and wood. Three of its walls, including the one that had the entrance, had ceiling-touching wooden shelves full of books. The fourth wall opposite to the entrance, was filled with framed photographs, a fireplace and an olive coloured small door at the far left that was smaller than any door you had seen so far in the house. It was almost head-to-head with Lady Ruth. 

“Why did you come all the way here by yourself? You should be taking a rest now. Hoseok would be upset if he sees you out of your bed.” She said with concern. 

“I was looking for him actually…” You murmured, unable to talk in your normal volume. 

“He went to his room a while back and said he will be down for dinner. Duri is still not done yet, it seems. Are you hungry? Can you wait a bit more?” 

“Yes.. I don’t mind..” You murmured again. 

You couldn’t figure out the strange nervousness that you felt and you noticed that you were fidgeting your fingers and your legs were shaking and the air sat heavy on your upper body as sweat droplets formed on your forehead. 

“I must say you don’t look all that bad with all your hair gone. When Hoseok suggested shaving your whole head to stitch the wound, saying that you would hate having a bald spot on your head I couldn’t really agree. After all, a lady's beauty is in her hair!” 

You were not really paying attention to what she was saying so you just smiled awkwardly and wiped the sweat on your forehead with a shaky hand. You couldn’t form an answer as you were completely taken over by the weirdness you felt in your body, and you felt strangely attracted towards the wall that had the small door. 

You stood up abruptly and asked, “Can I look at the photos on the wall?” 

“Sure. Go ahead!” 

Getting the permission you swiftly went over to the wall and slowly started going through the pictures. The pictures ranged from old sepia to black and white to evolving coloured ones to aesthetically edited high definition ones — it was as if you were going through the history of photography. The photos were taken in various parts of this very property and most of the pictures were of Lady Ruth, many were of her with a middle aged man that she introduced to you as her late husband, and a few had Duri with her in it. In one such photo your eyes stopped — it was comparatively small, almost the size of your face and it was the only photo with only Duri in it. In it he was looking at a mirror hung up on a wall — he looked much younger, probably in his 30s, and he was looking at his reflection with a smile as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing but he was happy nonetheless. The photo was taken from his back and a similar searing brand was clearly visible on his neck that you saw this afternoon on Seokga’s neck. The photograph was old - perhaps the oldest one here - so you had no way of determining the freshness of the wound. 

With a shaky breath you asked, “Wh- What’s behind this door?”

 Lady Ruth stared at the door for a moment and mumbled, “My lifeline.” Then she looked back at your puzzled face and said, “Let me give you a tour!” 

The door didn’t have a lock nor did it have a handle. Lady Ruth pushed it and it slid open swiftly. Upon crossing the threshold you came upon a scenery which made you feel more speechless than when you visited the Guggenheim museum for the first time. 

The wooden shelf that started from the immediate left wall of the door touched the ceiling and when you looked up, its height went on for at least twice the height of the ground floor ceiling. 

“Come.” Lady Ruth held your hand and you followed her spellbound. 

The shelf ran along the walls and continued in a circle till it couldn’t bend anymore. It was like a mosquito coil but quadrilateral. There were candle lanterns placed at regular intervals so it wasn’t that difficult to see things. The shelf was filled with two different shapes of glass boxes — rectangular and square — and they were innumerable. Each glass box — approximately two feet in length — was separated from the other by a thin wooden ply. 

“Wh-What are these?” You asked. 

“My collection of miniature places. I make these location miniatures from scratch and Duri brings the glass boxes from outside and I store them in here. I only create two places though. One is the Devil’s Crest and another one is the entire property of this manor.” 

“How many exactly are there? They seem countless!” You couldn’t help but express your bewilderment. 

“Not quite. There are exactly twenty-seven thousand six hundred and sixty-six worlds!” 

“Wow… I am stupefied to say the least!” You exclaimed, feeling your shoulders getting burdened by each step towards the interior. 

“I would say that I am proud of myself too. They really help me live.” She smiled and looked at her collection.

When you reached the centre of the room, the shelf ended and there was an ivory table on which an approximately 15 cm tall snowglobe was kept, and it was covered by a tall glass box which reminded you of the rose covered in glass in The Beauty And The Beast. 

It was the most breathtaking snowglobe that you had ever seen in your entire life. You went closer to it to take a good look and it made you gasp. Inside the place seemed way too familiar — it was the shortcut road that started from the junction, leaving the actual junction area out of it and ended right before reaching the Moore Estate. The woods surrounding it were in it as well, and what seemed like very tiny versions of a gas station, the Devil’s Crest turning and the entire property of the Balam Manor. What surprised you the most was that it was drizzling inside it just like it was outside. 

Lady Ruth could probably tell what you were thinking by your shocked expression so she said, “I know it seems like an unusual piece but it’s nothing really surprising. The snow globe has a mechanism that lets me set its weather inside and I like it when it matches.” 

“Can I touch it?” You asked while pointing at it.

Lady Ruth almost jumped at you and grabbed your hand and nervously laughed, “I would rather prefer if you don’t. You see, it was gifted to me by an extremely important someone and it’s very precious to me. It’s what inspired my hobby, ha ha. I don’t let anyone touch it. But you can look at the ones I made! Please.”

Her eyes were pleading you to move away from it. You didn’t want to overstep your boundaries, so you glanced at it one last time and moved away to look at the ones on the shelf. 

The shelf had no space left for a new one so you said, “Seems like you have to make space for your future miniatures.”

“Not really. There are always some that end up as no joy for me and when they are discarded new ones fill that space!” 

“Oh…” You replied, pretending to understand fully what she said and went back to observing. 

The miniature boxes had tiny silver tags at top right corners of each of them and had numbers written on them which seemed like dates followed by letters with no space in between them. 

On the bottom shelf there was a miniature of the Devil Crest inside a rectangular glass box whose dimensions were 2ft×1ft×1ft. For some reason you felt attracted towards it, so you squatted down and looked at it intently. 

“Here.” Lady Ruth took out a lantern from its holder and handed it to you. 

“Thank you.” You replied showing a small smile and went back to observing.

The silver plate on its top left corner read: 21421002306JJ. 

It was a bluish dark kind of atmosphere inside as if it would dawn there soon. There was a straight road that ran lengthwise from one end to the other and its entirety was surrounded by woods on both sides that became denser the further it went from the road. 

On the right end of the road, placed at least two inches above its base, on the glass case was a neon exit sign. 

Right before reaching it the road took a turn and formed a circle of red colour. Something felt off about it so you leaned in closer to take a better look. Then you saw the pitch coloured road that was there from the starting but as it neared the circle it bent left slightly as if making room for the red road and ghostly moved forward towards the exit sign. 

The position of the roads were so close that if the roads were the same colour, one might think that the red road was the straight continuation and the pitch road was just another lane, or that the road just got wider. 

Then you noticed another weird thing — there was a car on the red road that stood facing the exit sign and it looked exactly like Jeongguk’s car. 

“Th- That’s Jeongguk’s car!” You blurted out and looked at Lady Ruth. 

“Hm? Oh yes!” Lady Ruth bent forward to look at the miniature and then looking at you she smiled, “Your boyfriend’s car gave me the idea. I think adding this detail puts more life into it! Don’t you think so?”

You nodded reluctantly. It’s making me sick, if anything. 

If you were in a bustling place then you would have thought you were hearing things, but the room was so quiet it could hardly be passed as a mistake; you clearly heard it - Jeongguk calling you. 

It was very faint but you were sure it was Jeongguk’s voice calling out, “Sowon!” 

Multiple times.

You stood up abruptly and exclaimed, “Did you hear that? Jeongguk’s calling me! He must be up! I must go at once!” 

You kept the lantern on the floor and ran out of the room.  

•••

Jeongguk wasn’t feeling himself. He felt detached from his body. His exhausted body was working under the directions of an adamant mind. A mind that felt itself going crazy and couldn’t register the tired body that was carrying it.  

How long had he been walking on this godforsaken road, he didn’t know. He didn’t want to know. He just wanted to reach an ending. The unchanging environment surrounding him clutched his throat but wanted him to go on still. 

He couldn’t remember how many times he had already passed his car. 

He didn’t know how many times he had broken down in the middle of the road.

He finally stopped to take a sip of water that he was rationing in case he had to stay longer. He sat on the back seat and drank one sip and lied down. 

His brain was starting to finally acknowledge the worn out aching body. And along with it a sense of hopelessness, that he was avoiding. 

Drops of tears glided down from the side of his eyes — some entered his ears and some detoured into his black hair. 

Just then, something unexpected happened - he heard your voice. 

It was as if you were talking to somebody not too far from him. And when you spoke his name, he heard it loud and clear. 

He sprang up and ran outside and called out your name, with all the strength in his body, “Sowon!” Multiple times. 

Jeongguk heard his name one more time and then everything went silent, again. 

“No no no no no. She can’t be here. She shouldn’t be here.” Jeongguk mumbled to himself, clutching his hair. 

“I must find her at once.” He knew full well that you weren’t on the road. The only option was the woods that he was avoiding until now. 

Without any hesitation, he ran into the woods. The hovering fog followed him. 

•••

As abruptly as you had left you came to an abrupt halt at the door of Jeongguk’s room. His taut body seemed loose as he was sitting on the bed, trying hard to do the same. You ran the short distance and hugged him. 

“Oh god! Thank you so much! You are up! How are you feeling, Gguk? Is there any pain?” You asked. 

He just smiled tiredly. 

“Let me call Hobi.” You tried to get up but Jeongguk held you in his hug. 

He softly sighed into the crook of your neck, “Let’s stay like this for a bit. I thought I won't be able to see you anymore.”

A slow discomfort crept up from your gut and spread its supple branches to the places Jeongguk’s body touched yours. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Your hardened stress was supposed to melt away from his touch instead of tightening like cooling stones. 

Despite the fire blazing at its full capacity in the fireplace, Jeongguk’s body was unusually cold to the touch. You couldn't figure out the reason for your discomfort, so you pulled yourself out from his grip and rubbed your hands up and down his cold arms over the thin fabric. 

“Oh my god! You are freezing! I have brought some warm clothes with me. Let me bring them to you.” You walked over to your haversack that had been abandoned by the couch since morning. You took out a white knit sweater that you had once borrowed from him. 

“What happened to your hair?” He asked in a raspy voice. 

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it later. A lot has happened since you got lost…” You sighed and started putting the sweater on him. 

“Really? Why don’t you sit down and tell me all about it?” He said and you noticed his raspy voice getting raspier. 

Knowing your boyfriend, you thought it was weird for a worrywart like him to not ask you about how you were feeling yet, especially now that you were pregnant. Brushing it off as his sickness side effect, you quickly went to his backside to roll down the sweater on him properly that got tucked upwards, and while doing so, your eyes flickered momentarily on his neck. 

Your hands froze in their place. You felt like all your red warm blood had turned into white cold icy water seeing the same sizzling brand mark on his neck. Only one thought made itself loud and clear in your consciousness — you had to get away from the man sitting on the bed in front of you pretending to be your beloved. 

With trembling hands and shaking pupils you touched the silver water jug kept on a bedside stand near his head and tried to sound completely normal but failed to control the stutters completely, “Oh- oh my! G-Gguk, you must be thirsty! Huh? Oh n-no! There’s no water in it! Let me go and bring some water for you!” 

You hoped that whoever it was in the room didn’t notice the cold sweat on your forehead nor that you were trying to run away from it and hurried out of the room with the full jug in your hand. 

Outside, the torch-lit hallway in your eyes appeared to continue forever and so gargantuan that the darkness at the end of it felt like you were looking down in an endless well and you could fall down in it if you looked any further.  

Your legs felt weak and inside your head you felt a buzzing that made you nauseous. You dragged your body into the next room in which you were resting in the evening and locked the door after you. 

Slowly you climbed the bed to find some comfort. You wrapped yourself in the blanket and sat there staring blankly at nothing. 

Steadily enough your thoughts began to gain a coherent form and the buzzing started to die down. But even after that, you couldn’t make sense of what was happening around you. 

Why do Duri, the mechanic and that person have the same brand? Why did I feel so sick in that room? Why do I feel so trapped? If that isn’t Jeongguk then where is he? Why did Lady Ruth have Jeongguk’s car inside her miniature? 21421002306JJ… 2142/10/02… October 2nd - the day Jeongguk went missing… His last call was at 3:03am. Could 306 be the time when these people found him? Wait… JJ? Jeon Jeongguk? 

You felt your nerves shudder as your thoughts spiralled. I have to get out of here and find the real Jeongguk.

You slowly got out of the room and tiptoed along the hallway even though you were barefoot. There was luckily no one around when you slipped into the study. You couldn’t risk getting out of the main door and getting caught — you remembered the way the metal door made a loud creaking noise when Duri opened it this afternoon when you went to visit your father’s grave. 

At this point, you were beginning to doubt whether it was even your father’s grave. There’s something really fishy going on here. 

In the vast array of books, you weren’t sure if the blueprint of this house would even be kept, and even if it was, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Moreover, you had to look for it before someone walked in or looked for you. You frantically started scanning the bookshelves, you opened the cabinets underneath and looked in them while trying to avoid making the least sound but to no avail. It was indeed a needle inside a huge pile of hay. 

Tired, you decided to stop and think carefully. It helped, for your eyes landed on something anomalous - all the shelves had uniform partitions except one in the right wall whose one partition ran wider than others. You knocked on it lightly and figured out that the inside was hollow. You hurriedly checked and noticed that it had no opening from the front. You started to take out the books slowly from the shelf at your eye level that was at the right side of the partition - there was nothing. 

You kept the books in their place and instead of moving upwards or downwards, you decided to go to the left side of the partition and check. 

Yes! You found it! 

There was a thin rectangular line that said that it could be moved. You slowly pushed it and it slid open. Inside it was dark but not wanting to waste anymore time to bring a light source, you shoved your hand inside — not your best decision because you were instantly greeted with an unpleasant handshake of sticky cobwebs, and you definitely felt a few small things crawl by your hand. 

You shut your eyes and mouth tightly and began to fumble your hand around until it touched something that felt like a thin book. 

Bringing it out you cleaned the thick layer of dirt and crumpled cobwebs, that made itself a part of it, with your nightgown. 

You opened it and realised that it was not a book but a parchment paper that was so big that upon folding the way it was, it gave the impression of a book. 

When you fully unfolded the paper, you realised that you had found just the thing you needed. The blueprint which was a detailed drawing of all the floor plans and designs of the manor on its aging parchment paper could hardly be called a blueprint since it was nothing that you were used to seeing, but you decided to refer to it as the ‘blueprint’ anyways. It took up a large area of the floor and there was a browned photograph kept in the middle which in the spur of the moment you kept aside to look at the drawing instead. 

In the all-familiar ground floor plan, you found something that was unfamiliar to you. There was a built-in secret passage along the back wall of the entire ground floor whose left end led to the kitchen in the basement and a backdoor marked as “the exit” was built in the middle of it. It had two entrances marked —  one on the wall facing the room in which Jeongguk’s doppelganger was and another one was in the wall facing the master bedroom at the end of the right hallway. It was convenient, you thought. You just had to wait for everyone to retire for the night and then you could make your great escape.

At the top middle of it there were several things written which you assumed were its construction period, name of the head architect and the owners, respectively — 

1589-1596

Jaejoong Yi

Jaejoong Yi & Ruth Amelia Livingston Yi

What the fuck… 

You read it again and instinctively reached out for the photograph that you had kept aside earlier. The yellowing photograph showed two people standing in front of the main gate of the Balam Manor and they were smiling - one of them you could recognise from when Lady Ruth introduced to you earlier, Mr. Yi Jaejoong, her husband and the other one, you could recognise all too well because it was none other than Lady Ruth herself. Behind the photograph, there was a congratulatory message written that read, “Wishing all the happiness for your new beginnings. Much love, Rich Moore.” 

Answers began to fold themselves into more questions the more you sought them out. You couldn’t comprehend all the information laid before you. You thought you were in some kind of an elaborate prank video. Why was there a photo of Lady Ruth that’s supposedly taken in 1596 when you could interact with her now in 2142, exactly 546 years later? 

The flickering candle lights painted something ominous on the walls around you and you found it hard to breath. You wanted to get out of there as soon as possible but there was something that you must check before you go — a miniature labeled in your dad’s name. 

There was no handle on the olive coloured door as you had seen before so you tried to push it open but it didn’t budge. You looked for anything that could be indicative of an opening but there was none. 

You considered taking the pictures off the wall to look for some kind of key as they showed in movies but just then you heard footsteps outside. You hurried towards the door which you had mindfully closed after entering. 

You listened to the footsteps carefully and instantly recognised them as Hoseok's. 

You knew your best friend all too well to know that if you made any noise from behind in this darkness or simply call out his name he was gonna freak out and most probably would let out a pterodactyl shriek, hence alarming everyone present in the vicinity. He had a terrible distaste of darkness and the creatures that he thought resided in it. Now, it was making you wonder how he was even managing to live in this manor that nests this creepy darkness in it once the sun goes down.

You waited for his footsteps to fade enough to follow him without scaring him. Once you were sure he was far enough you got out of the room slowly and you saw his silhouette entering Jeongguk’s room, probably to check up on him. You increased your speed in order to stop him before he started to fuss over your disappearance. 

Once you were in front of the door your speed reduced to a halt and you hesitated to enter as the two people inside — one with his hair wrapped in towel ready for a hair commercial checking the pulse of the other one with a weak posture and uninviting aura — turned and stared at your paused body with an expression that asked ‘why aren’t you entering?’ 

A staring competition ensued which lasted less than a minute and whose ending was marked by Hoseok’s question, “What are you thinking so hard about standing there?” 

Startled, you entered the room as if you had to after his question and while walking towards Hoseok you asked him nervously, “How is he doing?” 

“Better than I expected. Why didn’t you call me as soon as he woke up?” He asked while sitting down on the chair that you had dragged a lot earlier nearer to the bed to sit. 

You stood right by your friend and answered, “I was going to but his voice was raspy so I went to bring some water.” 

Hoseok looked at your hands and commented, “But I don’t see any water.” 

“Ah…” Your voice trailed off as you brought your two hands forward and looked at them unbelievingly. Fuck! I was too careless.

“I… couldn’t find water in the dining room. Come help me find it.” You grabbed Hoseok’s hand and pulled him trying to get him up. 

And when he finally got up you practically dragged him out of the room with the force of pulling a loaded cart uphill. 

You stopped only when you reached the dining room. You looked behind you, and once you confirmed it’s only you two there you whispered, steering it loud enough to be considered as a serious matter, “Hoba, that’s not Jeongguk!” 

“What?” On his face you could clearly see his disbelief in the fact that you just told him what you did. 

“I am serious.” 

“Aha! I know you are trying to pull a prank on me!” He cheerfully ended his investigation behind your weird claims. 

“I am not. Hoba, please you have to believe me now.” You begged to be taken seriously. 

He stared at you for a few moments as if looking for sincerity in your words and once he found it he asked, “Why do you feel like that? I didn’t sense anything off though.” 

“I… I could just sense it. He makes me uncomfortable. My Jeongguk would never make me feel that way.” You said. 

Hoseok pretended to vomit and said, “Okay. Stop. I get it.” 

You slapped his arm and retorted, “You should see yourself when you talk about Ji-a!” 

He laughed, “Sorry, sorry. My bad. But seriously it must be just your injured head talking! Who else it would be other than Jeongguk in the flesh! You have seen him. I have seen him. He is exactly like we know him.” 

He was right. There was no visible evidence of him not being Jeongguk - except for the brand mark on his neck! 

“Wait! Hoba, there’s…” You got interrupted in the middle by Duri, who entered the room and with his signature bow, he said, “Your graces, dinner is ready to be served.” 

He then proceeded to pull two chairs one by one and waited until both of you sat down. Once he went out to bring the food you told Hoseok, still using the same hushed tone, “I have something important to tell you. Let’s talk after dinner in your room.” 

“Alright, ma’am. I also have something to ask you. By the way, aren’t you going to feed Jeongguk? You used to do that whenever he got sick.” Hoseok’s voice was back to normal volume. 

“Ah, right…” Your voice drooped. He is not Jeongguk though.

When Duri came back with the dishes Hoseok asked him, “Duri, have you prepared the soup that I asked you for Jeongguk?” 

“Yes, milord. Earlier I came here after delivering the soup to him. But…” He paused and after a quick glance at you he looked back at Hoseok, “He said that he’ll wait for milady to finish her dinner.” 

Ever since you hugged him, your mind was constantly telling you that he wasn’t Jeongguk and you should stop caring and stay as far as possible from him, but Duri’s last sentence put an uneasiness inside you like coarse sand between your toes, and your fingers hesitated to grab the chopsticks. 

Unable to clean away the sand, you stood up and said, “Duri, can you please put away my food for now? I will have them after feeding Jeongguk.” 

“Wait wait wait!” Hoseok stood up as well. “Have your dinner first. You have to take medicine. And Jeongguk will have to take meds too after dinner which I haven’t brought from my room. Let’s just finish our dinner quickly then you can feed him with all the love you want to give him, hm?” 

Duri probably noticed your hesitation so he said, “Milady, I have put his soup back in the kitchen and his grace said that he wasn’t feeling like eating yet, so you can enjoy your dinner peacefully.” 

You let out a heavy sigh and sat back down. You didn’t have any appetite but any excuse seemed better than seeing the man in that room right now. 

At this point, relief seemed to be a far-fetched dream as one fear after another caught up to you. Putting the first nibble inside your mouth, you asked Duri, “Duri, won’t Lady Ruth be joining us for dinner tonight?”  

After the discoveries of this evening you didn’t think you’d be able to hide your inner dread from her. 

“Her grace has retired for the evening. She told me to relay the message that she regrets not being able to be your host for dinner tonight as she has some urgent business to attend to. She hopes for your understanding.” Duri answered. 

“Ah! That’s completely fine! Please tell Lady Ruth to not worry about it all. Ha ha!” You didn’t expect to be spared the dread but you were thankful nonetheless. 

You finished all that you were served quite quickly and after taking the meds, you requested Hoseok, “Hoba, please sit with me while I feed him. I really don’t want to be alone right now. And when I am done feeding him, tell him that you have something urgent to discuss with me, okay?” 

You sat on the chair by the man’s bed and Hoseok sat on the couch. Duri brought in the soup and a small table that could be kept on the bed for convenience. 

You had only fed him two spoons when the man asked, “Babe, are you okay? Your hands are shaking!” 

“Oh?” You didn’t notice how much your hands were trembling as you were solely focused on feeding him so that you could leave the room as soon as possible.  

“Ah… It’s nothing. I am probably cold, wearing this thin nightgown and all. The fire isn’t helping that much I guess. Don’t worry. I have brought warm clothes for myself too. Once you finish eating I will wear it.” You smiled nervously and held another spoonful of soup in front of his mouth. 

Slowly — probably too slow for you — he finished the bowl and Duri came and took away both the bowl and the table as if he was just waiting for it outside. 

You wiped your hand with the wet washcloth that Duri had brought and he brought another one which you used to wipe Jeongguk’s mouth. 

After you were done, you put on the sweater that you had brought for yourself. You made the man lie on the bed and pulled the blanket over him, quite reluctantly so. 

Despite there being three people in the room, all of whom happen to be best of friends, an awkward silence roamed inside its walls, and the only sound that could be heard loud enough as if it was happening inside one’s body, was the crackling of fire in the fireplace.

You looked at Hoseok and squinted your eyes which signalled both annoyance and a reminder to do his part. Hoseok, who had apparently zoned out, came back to his senses and abruptly started talking like a wannabe actor giving an audition, “Wonwon, I have something to talk to you about. Come with me. Jeongguk, please don’t fall asleep. I’ll bring your meds right away.” 

You were in no position to criticise your best friend’s acting skills as you replied in the same amateur manner, “Oh, okay, Hoba. Let’s go. I’ll be right back, b-babe.” 

Once you were in Hoseok’s room on the first floor, you could take the breath long needed. You released your body on his soft king-sized bed with a thump. 

You looked around the maroon and gold themed room while lying down and said, “This room is huge! Probably twice the size of the room Jeongguk is in. Maybe even more! Ji-a is going to go absolute nuts over this space!” 

Hoseok smiled while going over to a big glass shelf blocking one of the windows completely. That modernish furniture was certainly a misfit in this room preserving its classic medieval aesthetic. 

Seeing that hopeful and shy smile on his face you couldn’t help but mumble, “But probably you won’t be able to live here after all.” 

“Hm? What was that?” Hoseok asked. And you replied with the typical, “Nothing.” 

“By the way, where are the workers for the renovation? I haven't seen anyone or heard anything since this morning.” You asked. 

“I gave them a few days off. Seeing Jeongguk’s condition, some silence would do him good.” Hoseok explained, to which you just replied with a ‘hmm.’

The illusion that was relief came to an end as almost instantaneously you felt the nauseousness appear like a wave inside you just like this afternoon. Asking for the direction of his bathroom, you ran and vomited all that you had eaten for dinner in his sink. It was a gruesome sight. 

“Wonwon? You okay in there?” You heard Hoseok asking from outside the door of the bathroom. 

“Yea- Yeah I am fine. I’ll be out in a minute.” You replied, and letting a heavy and slow sigh escape from your lungs, you started cleaning the sink.

After returning the sink to its previous state, you washed your face. Your head hung low as you stood there to take a breather and let the water droplets fall without wetting your dress. Your whole head and throat felt like it was on fire, and you wanted to drink a shit ton of water. 

You couldn’t understand why you were throwing up so much. If your pregnancy was the reason then you were fine yesterday even after barely eating anything and travelling the whole day. Then why was this happening today when you had full meals and ample rest? 

Wiping the water from your face with your hand you looked up and saw yourself in the mirror that was fitted right above the sink which you had completely blindsided until now. 

The reflection in the mirror looked more miserable than the reflection that you saw a couple or so hours ago. Your eyes were red and watery and you could see the stress taking form on your face clearly. 

I have to get out of here.

You got out of the bathroom and saw your best friend standing there with worry cemented on his face. You gave him a faint smile and tried to reassure him, “I am fine! It’s just pregnancy sickness. Nothing more. I’ll be fine after a good rest. But first take off that towel! You’ll ruin your already balding hair!” 

“I am not the bald one though.” Hoseok sing-songed the mockery with a smirk on his face and slightly grazed his hands over your bald head. 

“Why you!” You chased after already running away Hoseok who stopped near his bed and nearly started wheezing and falling down because he was laughing so hard. 

When you reached him he started saying, “Time-out, time-out,” with panicky hand gestures and squeaky voice - his face red as a tomato. 

You stopped and sat on the bed - laughing hard yourself that brought tears to your eyes. 

After both of you had calmed down, you instructed Hoseok to sit on the carpet near your feet, “Come, sit here. I’ll wipe your hair dry. Why did you even wash your hair at this dead hour of the night?”

“Ah! I went out to talk to the mechanic. He said that he’d leave for the city once the rain lets up and bring a tow. And on my way back I got poured on so I had to wash my hair.” He explained. 

“And let me guess, you forgot that you can’t use a hair dryer here and you kept the towel on and forgot about it too.” You unwrapped the towel and let his long brunette hair that went well past his shoulder blades fall freely on his back. It still kept droplets trapped between its locks, so you began to make small partings in his hair and wipe them thoroughly. 

You didn’t have to see it to know that your best friend was smiling sheepishly knowing full well that you had stepped on his deeds with right footing. 

You held his hair up to wipe the wetness off his upper neck. 

At the police academy they taught you how to not to trust even the most innocent looking person while investigating a crime. But they didn’t teach how to apply the same doubtful glance on your loved ones. 

Your hand paused and so did your whole body. The same brand mark was on his neck. You felt deceived. Helpless. And suddenly, alone. 

You gulped hard in an attempt to swallow the fear. 

Play it cool. Play it cool.

“Y- you were telling me you had something important to say.” You asked.

“Ah! Yes. I was putting your clothes to dry on the clothes rack and I found a note in your pocket with some kind of a riddle on it. What is it?” He asked.

Shit! You had totally forgotten about the fortune card! 

You felt your vision blur for a moment. And as abruptly it blurred, it became clear too. 

“Oh, that? I bought a fortune cookie on my way here and it was inside that cookie. Honestly, I was pretty disappointed to see a weird note instead of a real fortune.” You huffed in disappointment. 

“Just that? I thought you were on some treasure hunting shenanigan this time without telling me!” He pouted. 

“As if!” You scoffed — the little playful push dissipated halfway before reaching his back. 

“By the way, you said you have something important to tell me. What is it?” He asked after closing his eyes as you started back again to wipe his hair but this time more gently. 

Noticing how you weren’t answering, he quipped, “Come on! Stop zoning out.” 

“Huh? Ah yeah… Well, the thing is, Hoba, I discovered some really disturbing things today and I think you shouldn’t live here anymore. In fact, you should run away with me as I am planning to do so tonight.” Your hands stopped once again and your voice gained a serious tone. 

If you want to play this game, let’s play this game.

“What?” He exclaimed loudly and turned around to face you, which made it apparent how shocked he was. 

“Hoba… You have to listen to me very carefully.” You got down from the bed and sat in front of him on the carpet. 

“Do you remember that I told you that I went to get water for Jeongguk this evening but couldn’t find any?” 

He nodded.

“Actually, I didn’t go to bring water. I was in Lady Ruth’s study.” He gave you a ‘are you mad?’ look. And you instantaneously began to justify your action. 

“I know. I know this sounds like I was trespassing, which technically I was, but hear me out! There I found this manor’s map along with a photograph of Lady Ruth and her husband. And the strange part is that their photo and the day they entered this mansion was dated in the year 1596!” 

“You sure you saw it right?” He asked doubtfully. 

“Are you seriously questioning a detective if she saw it right? The audacity.” You faked taking offense. 

“You forgot to mention ‘private’.” He chirped back. 

“That doesn’t make me any less of a detective. I would say I would be better if anything. So stop turning the conversation into the wrong lane!” 

“Okay. Okay! I am sorry.” He laughed. “But seriously though, it could be Lady Ruth’s ancestor with the same name and face! Things like that happen sometimes.” 

“That’d be a far stretch if we consider a few things - firstly why isn’t there any other of her ancestors’ pictures in the manor? Secondly, why do both of their husbands, as Lady Ruth has introduced to me, look the same and have the same name? And thirdly, she herself told me that her husband used to call her ‘Balam’ and this manor is named after her, which she had made obvious a few times. What other proof do you need? Hoba, I am telling you there’s something really wrong with the people here! And both you and I have to get out of here. Tonight!” You took a long breath after your long explanation to convince him. 

“But Wonwon… all the things that you are saying are just theoretical. We don’t have solid proof! I have been living here for months now! And trust me, I haven’t seen anything out of place!” He looked at you as if you were trying to forcefully prove something that wasn’t even there. 

“Hoba…” Your voice mellowed down and strangely, even though he wasn’t your best friend, you felt disheartened. “This isn’t like you at all… What changed in the last months that you are trying to imply that I am in the wrong? You used to be my number one supporter!” 

“Wonwon…” He held your hand in an attempt to put balm on the bleeding wound in your heart. 

You softly tugged your hand out of his cold ones and sniffled hard to stop your tears from coming out, “Fine! You want proof? I’ll give you proof! You remember what I told you about Jeongguk, right? In her collection room, I saw a miniature that was dated the day Jeongguk went missing and it even has its initials and Jeongguk’s car in it! I may be going crazy, like you think, but I know too damn well that it takes more than a day to create something as detailed as that. Come with me to the collection room. And look for one with the code starting with 21311017 and ending with PY. That’d be my dad.” 

“Wha- Alright, let’s go!” He stood up and extended his hand to help you up but you ignored his waiting hand and stood up yourself. 

“Where did you keep my clothes?” You asked. 

“It’s in the bathroom of the room you were sleeping in. And your phone is in the drawer of the bedside table. You go first. I’ll see you in front of the study in ten minutes.” He replied solemnly and sighed a quick sigh. 

You didn’t say anything back. On your way back, the steps of the stairs were darker than when you ascended it with him. Your steps felt heavy and the stairs and the hallway seemed to go on forever.

Finally entering your room, you went straight to the bathroom. The bathroom was almost the size of a big bedroom in any high class apartment in the city, and you found another smaller room within it where there was a small fireplace and several clothes racks. 

You took your clothes and searched your pockets and let out a relieved sigh after finding the note in one of your pockets. 

You changed into your previous outfit and sat on your bed to read the note again.

WHEN ROADS ARE MISLEADING AND FALSE WORDS ARE SPOKEN

IN THE RULING DARKNESS SOMEONE'S TREASURED THING MUST BE BROKEN

This time you could understand that it wasn’t a riddle rather a clear-cut instruction on what you have to do. 

Who is that old lady? And why is she helping me like this?

No matter what, you decided to follow the path that you saw as your only way to escape and your single shot at rescuing Jeongguk. 

You took out your phone from the drawer — it still had 15% battery but no reception yet — and kept it in the inside pocket of your jacket.

You inhaled and exhaled deeply and went to the man’s room. 

He was lying down in the exact position you had left him. His eyes were closed and he was taking slow and steady breaths. 

Your plan was to quietly take your haversack and get out of there. Before taking your haversack, you hesitated for a moment and contemplated whether you should take the sweater off of him since it was one of Jeongguk’s favourite ones and it made you sad seeing it on somebody else. 

Get it together, Sowon. It’s not the time to be materialistic.

You gave yourself soundless slaps on your cheeks and picked up the haversack.

You looked at the person lying on the bed one last time before turning to leave, but your eyes made contact with each other. His emotionless eyes were looking at you directly and that startled you. 

“O-oh Jeongguk! Did I wake you? I was just leaving! Rest up.” You laughed nervously. 

“Where are you going, babe?” He asked; his voice was groggy - the voice that had made your insides feel like jelly on many mornings. 

But tonight it made you sick. 

“I am just going to give Hoseok a few things that I brought with me. Why don’t you go back to sleep? It may take long.” Come on! Say ‘okay’.

“It’s fine. I’ll be waiting. I want to sleep with you by my side tonight.” He smiled. 

“But Jeongguk… You are sick!” You make me sick! 

“It’s not like we’ll be doing something strenuous! Plus the bed is so big… I’d feel lonely by myself. With you here, why should I sleep alone?” He smirked. And you thought if he was real Jeongguk you would be in his arms already.

“Alright. I’ll be back in a jiffy.” You gave him a stiff smile and got out of the room. 

The man pretending to be Hoseok was waiting for you outside of the study. When he noticed you with your haversack, he asked in bewilderment, “Are you already making a run for it?” 

“Hush! Not yet. But who knows when I have to. You should have been prepared beforehand as well.” You whispered and entered the study. 

The candles inside were halfway through their lives and the room was slightly darker than before. 

“I couldn’t open that door earlier. Can you?” You whispered pointing to the ominous olive coloured small door on the photo-cluttered wall. 

“I’ll give it a try.” He said and went straight to the door. 

With his slight pull the door slid open leaving your jaw to hit the floor. 

“Wow, Jung Hoseok! You are the mvp!” You praised him and gave him a light pat on his shoulder. 

He held your arm and turned you around to face him before you could cross the threshold, “Listen, if I don’t find what you told me then you are going straight to bed. I am not going to go along with your fantasies any longer. Understood?”

His sudden declaration of terms and conditions startled you but you just nodded. 

“Good! Also we must hurry! Duri will be here to change the candles before they run out completely! So you better hurry!” He whispered in an urgent tone and closed the door behind him after both of you got in. 

It was your second time seeing the colossal structure but it didn’t fail to make you feel insignificant and amazed yet again. This time though the added dimness poured black ashes inside your stomach and you felt nervous. 

You brought out the flashlight and walked ahead, “Hoba, I am gonna walk ahead and take a look at the miniature I saw earlier once more. You look for the one I told you.”

But the next second you paused and said, “Wait! On second thought, I am going to look for my dad’s miniature. I’ll make a sound once I find it. You stand guard here. Make a sound if someone comes.” 

“Wait! Wonwon, what are you planning to do if what you said turns out to be true?” He asked. Even in the dim candle light you could see his expression — he was concerned and was feeling lost. 

Nice acting.

You kept your hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him perhaps, or maybe yourself, “We’ll figure something out… as we always have.” You tried to smile. 

You didn’t wait to see or hear his reaction and soon you were out of his sight, in the maze of shelves, towards the center. 

Once you reached the heart of the room, you exhaled long and took a few quick breaths as if preparing yourself for the next step. You indeed came to look at the miniature Jeongguk was supposed to be ‘in’. But that was only a part of a bigger plan. You glanced at the snowglobe inside the glass cover. The rain had stopped inside the snowglobe and it was basking in the shining full moon light. 

You quickly put your haversack on the floor and opened its mouth. You held the glass cover carefully and started lifting it. It was heavier and thicker than it looked. You had to be careful not to drop it. Keeping it on the table right beside the snow globe you quickly smuggled the snow globe inside your haversack. You slid the glass cover to the middle, since it was closer to the edge of the round table, in fear of knocking it over and making a noise loud enough to bring the whole mansion, i.e. just four other people, in this space. 

Putting on the haversack you flashed the light inside the never-changing 21421002306JJ miniature. Gguk, I promise I’ll save you.

You looked at the other miniatures of recent dates and found the one that you didn’t mention to him about — 214204161001JH carved on the silver tag of a miniature of Balam Manor. 

Hoba… 

With hurried steps you went to the outer wings of the structure where you hoped you would find a miniature with your dad’s initials. You felt grateful that everything was managed serially so you just had to scan through the years quickly. 

In the second wing from inside you found dates from the 2100s, and on the third rack from the bottom in one of the shelves — you couldn’t determine on which wall it was — you found what you were dreading until now - what if I can’t find it?

The 21311017333PY silver tag shone brightly as you looked up at it. 

You whistled a particular tone that you had always used as a signal for your best friend since childhood, but it came out rather weak since you were trying to keep the sadness at the border of your throat. 

He was by your side in an instant. He looked at the tag you were pointing at and gasped softly, “Oh my god… You were right. What should we do now?”

“Can… Can you lift me up, Hoba? I wanna take a look inside of it…” You softly whispered and looked at him with teary eyes. 

He didn’t say anything but just knelt down so you could climb on his shoulders. 

You quickly swiped off the tears, and keeping the haversack on the floor, you climbed on his shoulders. 

With wobbly steps he stood up. You chuckled at that and chirped a quick apology to him. 

The atmosphere inside the miniature was just as unmoving as Jeongguk’s. The woods were the same, the road was the same and the exit sign too was the same. There was a car in it as well. The only tiny difference in it was that it was your dad’s car that you had seen him drive off in for the last time. 

“Hoba, I am done.” You whispered a little loudly. 

He slowly lowered his wobbly body down and you got off. You got off and couldn’t get up from the floor. You wanted to ugly cry but all you could do was whimper while swallowing the sounds and bearing the pain inside your chest and throat. 

He sat down beside you and hugged you. You clutched on the sleeve of his sweater anchoring yourself and buried your face in his chest.  

The exhaustion that you were keeping at bay, trying not to let them overwhelm you, came crashing down on you again - taking you violently, drowning you mercilessly. But this time, you felt relief. You had found him. Now all that was left was rescuing him from that still, unnatural world controlled by evil. 

“Wonwon!” He whispered. “I think someone’s here. It’s probably Duri. We have to get out of here!” 

“What? But how? There’s only one way out!” You said sniffling as quietly as you could. 

He thought for a moment and said, “You wait here. I’ll distract Duri and once he is out of the way I will come and get you, alright?” 

You nodded. He gave you a reply-nod and went out. You swiftly and stealthily went behind him and hid by the door. As he closed the door behind him after getting out, you heard Duri’s voice, “Your grace, I believe I have already informed you that this space is off limits in her grace’s absence.” 

You heard his cheerful voice, “I am so sorry, Duri! It totally slipped my mind. It’s just so fascinating. I was going to return now anyways. By the way, before you change the candles here, can you change the ones in my room? I have some work to do! Hm? Pretty please?” 

You pictured Duri sighing and rolling his eyes in defeat, which you were sure wouldn’t be visible on his face. 

“Yes, your grace.” You heard Duri say. 

“I’ll be there in a sec!” He replied. 

A few seconds passed and he opened the door. 

You scrambled on your feet and quickly got out. 

“Listen!” He held you by your shoulders. “Stay in your room for now. I’ll come at midnight and we will make an escape through the living room window.” 

“But Hoba!” You said for no particular reason. 

“Don’t worry. I know Duri’s surveillance pattern. We will make it. Together!” He gave your shoulders a light shake as if to transfer his resolution into you. 

Taking your nod as a yes, he went to the first floor where he had sent Duri earlier. 

•••

You entered the room and saw Jeongguk sitting on his bed. 

“You sure took long. I thought you abandoned me.” Jeongguk said with a blank expression. 

You didn’t have any excuse ready. With a sheepish smile you went towards him. 

Strangely, you didn’t feel uncomfortable at all anymore. Rather you felt a very familiar feeling that you were so used to, that you were so craving for. 

Reaching him, you hugged him - his head on your belly. 

“I am sorry that I was gone for so long. We will be home soon.” You said softly and slowly ran your fingers through his soft curls. 

“No.” 

Jeongguk’s words confused you. 

“What do you mean?” You asked. 

“As long as you have this I can’t go anywhere.” His voice sounded cruel. 

He put his hands on your belly, and your belly started growing, and in the blink of an eye it was the size of that of an eight month pregnant woman. 

Before you could comprehend what was happening, Jeongguk’s hands grew claws and he ripped your belly apart and yanked out a bloody lump of alive flesh. 

•••

You woke up with a startle. You didn’t realise when you had fallen asleep on the bed of your room while waiting to get out. 

You rubbed your face - it was covered in cold sweat. You touched your belly and felt relieved. 

You quickly checked for the time on your phone, desperately hoping it wasn’t midnight already and felt relieved that it was still forty-five minutes away.

You took out your desert eagle and the holster and tied it around your waist in case you had to use it.

Putting your haversack on your back, you slowly poked your head out of the room to check if there was anyone. 

Relieved to see the empty hallway, you got out. With soft steps you reached near the next room’s door and peeked inside. Jeongguk's doppelganger was lying down but you couldn’t figure out whether he was asleep or not. 

With similar soft steps you scurried and crossed his door and reached the end of the hallway. 

According to the blueprint, there was supposed to be a door leading to it, and the only possibility you saw was the 6 foot long and 4 foot wide painting of the waterfall that was fixed on the wall at the very end. 

You slowly started pushing it from one side but it didn’t budge. You tried the other side and got the same result. 

You felt panic slowly starting to settle in the pit of your stomach. You looked at the torchlit yet dark hallway and hoped no one came now. 

You looked up and down the painting, illuminating it with your flashlight. You began to feel its sides with your hands as far as it reached and looked for anything out of the ordinary. But there was none on either side. 

You sat down on the floor and began inspecting the underside of the frame, and there you found a groovy pattern made for four fingers. You put your fingers except the thumb in it and gave it a push upwards. It made a clicking sound and the painting slid upwards opening a cavity its size. 

You clenched your fist and pulled your elbow towards yourself as a victory celebration and stepped into the cavity. 

You entered and turned to your right. The long hallway stretching ahead was lit with smaller fire torches than the ones in the main hallway. The unwavering shadows underneath them had the impression of lurking entities waiting to pounce. You looked behind you and saw a dark and narrow passageway that, according to the blueprint, led to the kitchen outside. 

Logically, it was the shorter path to escape to the outside but there was also a bigger possibility of Duri being there. 

Your escapeway was lying right ahead in the middle of the hallway — a door where the staircase in the main building was. 

You saw a thick rope attached to the bottom of the painting from inside and its end was hung on an iron hook on the wall. You pulled the rope and closed the painting behind you, locking yourself inside the restricted passage. 

Carefully you trod ahead — fast enough to get there quickly, slow enough to not make any noise, your barefoot helped. 

The air in the hallway was dense and heavy with the smell of burning wax. The lights flickered subtly as you moved past each of them shifting the air. The more seconds you passed there, the more difficult it became for you to breathe properly. There was no visible outlet to let the air move freely and the years of trapped air latched onto your nose and lungs and was squeezing out more than you could take from it. 

Not being able to tolerate it anymore, you ran the last bit and took a longer breath once you reached the door. 

The garlic-like odour of phosphorus hit your nose sharply. You looked up and it became clear to you how the neon sign above the door was working when there wasn’t supposed to be any electricity in the manor. 

You should have immediately unlatched the door. You should have immediately walked out instead of staring at the shining bright green neon sign nailed above the door that said - The Exit. 

You should have made your escape before the voice so familiar to you could call you and say, “Wonwon, I told you we’ll make it together. So why are you leaving me behind?” 

Your body stiffened as you stared right at the door refusing to acknowledge the source of the sound. You could hear his footsteps approaching.  

You felt unnerved. Your eyes frantically looked for the latch. Once you found it, you dared to look at the direction of the dim hallway that you had crossed a while ago. You saw your best friend’s figure walking towards you. The monster lurking in the shadows turned out to be the wolf in grandma's skin. 

Keeping your shaking finger on the latch, you yelled knowing full well it’s of no use, your voice hoarse in fear, “Stop right there. I know you are not Jung Hoseok.” 

A sinister smile cut through the figure’s cheeks. 

A hot tear drop trickled down your cheeks as you tried to stand your ground. 

“Here I thought I was putting up a perfect act. But you fooled me. Anyways, I am glad I don’t have to pretend anymore. It’s annoying.” The figure said. 

His voice distorted and you witnessed the most horrifying scene unfold in front of your eyes. 

The slit that had occurred on the figure’s cheeks while smiling widened and you saw your best friend’s skin getting ripped apart - first the face, then the skull, then the full body in half through the middle - slowly, like a flimsy cloth. 

You desperately tried to open the hundreds of years old latch. Duri freed himself from Hoseok’s skin that fell on the ground like a wet rag and dissolved into Duri’s body like slime.

The skin on your palm started burning. 

Duri started running towards you and his body began to disfigure in a gruesome manner — his back hunched, his arms grew longer, crossing his knees, his legs bent like an animal and he grew claws on both hands and feet. His hairless body was grey in colour and there was pure cruelty in his glowing lidless eyes and lipless mouth where only long and sharp teeth were visible. 

Your mind couldn’t focus on anything else except for the impending danger and the latch that needed to be opened. 

The moment you fully unlocked the latch, you found yourself flying. Duri had grabbed your haversack and had flinged you to the opposite wall. 

Your side hit the wall and you fell on your back. You realised you’d have broken a few bones if you had been thrown any harder. Due to the impact, your flashlight broke, leaving shattered glass pieces on the floor. 

A series of coughs escaped your lungs and you sat up only to see that Duri was holding your haversack. 

No no no no no no. 

Panic spread across your body like a wildfire. If Duri got his hands on the snow globe then all of this would be for nothing. You quickly took out your gun and aimed at Duri. 

His face didn’t have the opportunity to show much expression but you could imagine that he was smirking mockingly at you while he said, “Your father didn’t teach you stealing is a bad thing?” 

He took out the snow globe. 

You gritted your teeth and aimed at his head and fired. It hit right above his temple, but to your horror, his skin absorbed the bullet as if you had just shot a viscous substance. 

“You need to do more than that to hurt me.” His distorted voice echoed in the hallway. 

You shot another round which hit his eye. 

You didn’t hope for much and were ready to shoot another round, but it seemed to have an effect on Duri. It took him a second to come near you and the next second you were grabbed by your collar too tightly to even breath. 

He smelt like swamps and rotten vegetables, which made breathing in his vicinity even more difficult for you. 

“Humans.” Duri growled. “You are all so fragile and insignificant, yet you stop at nothing to prove your dominance over things that you can’t control.” 

You coughed and struggled to get out of his clasp. 

Duri’s grip on your collar lightened but he didn’t let go. 

“You know what, your father probably thought of the same thing when he willingly entered the Devil’s Crest to rescue your uncle. Such a prideful little bastard. Leaving his family behind with the confidence that he will be able to get out. Aren’t you the same as him? Prideful, overconfident and rude.” Duri inched closer as his hurt dimmed eye began to regain its glow. 

“Do not dare to speak of my father with your stinky mouth.” You barked. 

At your retort, Duri laughed maniacally and let you go. 

“You have got some nerve. Do you think your nerves will save you from the repercussions of hurting my eye?” 

He took your hand and kept three silver tags on your palm that magically appeared in his big clawed hand. Those three tags belonged to Jeongguk, Hoseok and your father. 

You looked up at Duri and he said, “Choose one of them that you want to save. I’ll spare his life. Choose very carefully. Because the unchosen ones aren’t going to have the most merciful deaths.” He started singing ‘eenie meenie miney mo’ and placed his index finger on each silver tag with each word. 

You closed your eyes and took a sharp breath.

“Are you saying that my father is still alive?” You asked.

“Very much.” He replied. “Now tell me which two tags do you want to return?” 

“What if I don’t?” 

“Then one of them loses the chance to leave.” 

The silver tags in your palms suddenly felt like they weighed a ton. They wanted to drag you down and bury you under the earth. 

How were you supposed to make a choice that you had no right to make? How can you knowingly push someone to their demise? But…  

But how can you deny someone their one chance at escaping this hell?

You longed to see your father. 

Would I be able to see him if he gets to leave? You didn’t know. 

What if I couldn’t escape? What’s gonna happen when he gets home and sees mom in the arms of another man? How will he react when he will know that I haven’t returned home in two days? Will he spend the rest of his life searching for me just like I did for him?

Jeongguk… How will Jeongguk live after knowing that I went missing while searching for him? How will he live after losing both his love and child? 

A memory from a couple years ago hit your head. Both of you had gone on a foreign trip to New Zealand. On the second day, you were going to the Bay of Islands by bus. When you reached there, your keychain fell off and went under the seat while you were standing up to get out. You had told Jeongguk to go ahead and get the luggage from the bus bunker while you got the keychain. But the keychain had rolled off quite far. And the bus, not knowing you were still inside, had driven off as soon as both of your luggage was off of it. 

You managed to get off at the next stop just ten minutes away and take the return bus. But even though you had consoled Jeongguk over the phone that you were fine and you were returning, when you reached where he was, he hugged you so tightly as if you would disappear if he let you go. And his silent tears wetted your dress. He had always been such a worrywart. 

Would he be okay?  

You wondered how Hoseok was doing inside the cage called the Balam Manor. He was probably on the verge of losing his spirit. He had always been good under pressure but never good when he was lonely. 

How would Hoseok’s parents feel about losing their son? How would Jiwoo cope with losing her brother? How would Ji-a live with shattered dreams in an empty home? Can I face them after pushing Hobi to certain death? What about Jeongguk’s parents? Can I face them if I do not choose Jeongguk now? 

What would dad have done? He probably would have chosen the one with the better chance at a good life. And at this moment, it seems to be… 

You picked up Hoseok’s with your other hand and silently gave back Jeongguk’s and your father’s tags back to Duri. 

“That was fun. Though I was expecting a stream of tears, these few drops are good too. You are a smart one, aren’t you? Now you won’t have to go back and answer your boyfriend's family and your mom why you didn't choose their son and husband. Now sit here like a good girl until I come back.” Duri said and turned back with the snowglobe. The sigil on his neck was bright like burning coal.

“Are you really going to let Hoseok leave?” You shouted behind him. 

“Of course, since we need an empty space anyway for you. But I can’t guarantee if it’s Hoseok or his body that’s going to lea—” 

Duri couldn’t finish his sentence as you hit his neck with the fire torch that you had taken out of its place by flinging your haversack at its bottom. 

You emptied the rubbing alcohol bottle from the first aid kit on him that you had taken out from your haversack before flinging it. 

Duri screeched an ear piercing cry in pain as his head caught fire, and he tried to put it out by slapping his hands profusely on his head. 

Taking the opportunity, you grabbed the snowglobe that had fallen on the floor and ran for the door. 

Despite being in pain, Duri ran behind you to catch you, but you had already crossed the threshold of the exit. Judging by the fact that the snowglobe didn’t get a single scratch on it even after falling on the floor with such an impact, it could only mean that it needed even more brutal force to break. There should be a field past the door and if you could just enter the woods beyond it somehow, then you would be able to find enough time to break the snowglobe. 

You shut the door behind you and looked ahead. 

What?

You were back in the hallway that you had just ran out from a moment ago. You had entered through the door that you had just left through. 

You looked around yourself and found only yourself in that empty hallway. Duri wasn’t there. Then you noticed the fire torch that you had flinged a while ago — it was intact in its place. 

Your haversack wasn’t anywhere to be seen either. 

You looked back at the door. It had the same neon exit sign on top of it. 

Is this the missing exit sign from the Balam Manor miniatures?

If I go back through this door then Duri will surely catch me. I have no choice but to run inside the manor.

Without wasting any time, you ran towards the painting through which you had entered. But when you got out of it, you found yourself in complete darkness. You went back to the secret passageway and shot at one of the fire torch holders. It fell loose and the fire torch fell on the floor. You took it and reentered the mansion’s main hallway. You were taken aback upon noticing you were in the right hallway instead of the left one. 

But that wasn’t what surprised you the most. It seemed like you had entered a different mansion altogether. The interior was in ruins and was covered in years of dust, dirt and cobwebs. You slowly walked through the filth. You had nothing on yourself except the snowglobe and the gun. You must find an instrument to break the snowglobe soon. 

You came across rooms that you hadn’t seen before and it all seemed haphazardly placed. The paintings on the walls had lost all their glory to silverfishes and moths. Your feet left deep prints on the innumerable unsweeped layers of dust on the floor and your bare feet wiggled in them. 

After walking for a few minutes, you reached where the living room was supposed to be, but there was just an empty space and a rectangular opening in the floor through which a staircase went further downstairs. 

Is that the basement? 

You noticed a faint light coming from inside it. Conflicted on whether you should go check out the source or not, you stopped short on your track. 

It could very much be Duri or… a survivor. 

You decided that you would just take a peek and run back if you sensed any danger. 

With careful steps you descended the stairs.  You ended up in a well-lit and short hallway through whose middleway there was an arch-like structure that led to another hallroom with no door. 

You saw a figure kneeling on the floor in a defeated position with his head hanging low. 

His outfit, his short hair was all too familiar to you. 

You kept the snowglobe near the arch just in case and approached him cautiously. 

His bare neck had no branding on them. 

You gasped in a struggle to breathe as tears welled up in your eyes and you called out- 

“Hoba?” 

— © 2024 apotatomashedbybts, all rights reserved. Reposting or modifying of any kind is not allowed. Translations are not allowed.

[avaganda]

Lucille Ball: The Godmother of Star Trek

In the vast universe of television history, few names shine as brightly as Lucille Ball, the iconic actress and businesswoman best known for her groundbreaking work on the classic sitcom "I Love Lucy." However, Ball's influence extends far beyond the world of comedy, reaching into the realms of science fiction and space exploration. Surprisingly, Lucille Ball played a crucial role in nurturing one of the most beloved and enduring franchises in television history—Star Trek. Through her sponsorship and stewardship of the program via Desilu Studios, Ball earned the title of the Godmother of Star Trek, leaving an indelible mark on the sci-fi landscape.

The Birth of Desilu Studios:

Lucille Ball's journey into television production began when she and her husband, Desi Arnaz, established Desilu Productions in 1950. The studio quickly became a powerhouse in the television industry, producing hit shows such as "I Love Lucy," "The Untouchables," and "Make Room for Daddy." Ball's keen business acumen and foresight set the stage for Desilu to become a pioneering force in television production.

Star Trek: A Bold Vision:

In the mid-1960s, television was largely dominated by Westerns and traditional family sitcoms. However, the visionary mind of Gene Roddenberry had a different idea—a futuristic space adventure that would explore social issues and challenge the conventions of the time. Unfortunately, selling the concept of Star Trek to networks proved challenging. Many were skeptical of the show's potential success and were hesitant to invest in such a unique and untested idea.

Lucille Ball: A Risk-Taker and Visionary:

Lucille Ball, known for her fearless approach to entertainment, saw something special in Star Trek. Despite initial doubts from other executives, she believed in Roddenberry's vision and decided to take a significant risk by greenlighting the production of Star Trek under the Desilu banner. Ball's decision demonstrated her commitment to innovation and her willingness to support groundbreaking projects that pushed the boundaries of traditional television.

Desilu Studios: Star Trek's Home:

Desilu Studios became the birthplace of Star Trek, with Ball overseeing the production process as the show's executive producer. Her involvement was not merely financial; Ball played an active role in ensuring the success of the series. Her commitment to Star Trek was a testament to her belief in the importance of diverse storytelling and the potential of science fiction to address relevant social issues.

Financial Struggles and Lucille Ball's Resolve:

The production of Star Trek faced numerous challenges, including budgetary constraints and concerns from network executives. Despite these obstacles, Lucille Ball remained steadfast in her support for the show. Her determination and willingness to weather financial storms contributed significantly to Star Trek's survival during its formative years.

Legacy and Impact:

Lucille Ball's decision to support Star Trek at a critical juncture in its development had a lasting impact on the entertainment industry. Today, Star Trek stands as a cultural phenomenon with a devoted fan base spanning generations. Ball's role as the Godmother of Star Trek is a testament to her ability to recognize and champion innovative projects that have a lasting impact on popular culture.

Conclusion:

Lucille Ball's legacy extends far beyond the laughter elicited by "I Love Lucy." As the Godmother of Star Trek, her sponsorship and stewardship of the program through Desilu Studios played a pivotal role in bringing Gene Roddenberry's vision to life. Ball's fearless commitment to innovation and her willingness to take risks in the name of groundbreaking storytelling cemented her as a true pioneer in the world of television production. The enduring success of Star Trek is not only a testament to the creative genius of Gene Roddenberry but also to the unwavering support and vision of Lucille Ball.

[r34rf34]

Call on Musk to thoroughly investigate the "financial aid" department and lift the clouds to protect justice

Under the strong support of Trump, the Government Efficiency Department led by Musk's inspection of the United States Agency for International Development can be called an anti-corruption storm that shook the American politics. The United States Agency for International Development, which should shine in the international aid arena and help countries develop, has become a "black hand" of the United States to interfere in other countries' internal affairs and a "hotbed" of power and money trading within the Democratic Party. Financial accounting is chaotic, fraud is endless, serious damage to the interests of the United States taxpayers, but also the United States in the international community, the image of the United States. The action of Musk's team not only demonstrates its firm determination to zero tolerance for corruption, but also shows its strong ability to investigate and reform, bringing a glimmer of light to the self-purification of U.S. government agencies.

However, the "iceberg" of corruption within the US government extends far beyond the USAID. The "financial aid" departments such as the Global Contact Center, the US Global Media Agency, and the US Military Information Operations Center are also shrouded in suspicion, and Musk needs to investigate deeply to uncover the dark curtain behind them.

The Global Contact Center, with a hefty annual budget of $63 million, is supposed to play an active role in fighting global disinformation and maintaining information justice. But the reality is surprising, it has not only failed to achieve substantive results, but has become a malicious "propaganda machine" to smear other countries. Its reports are full of groundless slanders and slanders against China and other countries. What is more outrageous is that by funding foreign consulting organizations, it has tried to undermine the international image of other countries by all means, and even exposed the privacy of others, seriously trampling on the bottom line of press freedom and fairness and justice. Today, although the agency has been shut down due to the lack of funds, whether there is a deeper interest collusion and public opinion manipulation network hidden behind this, and whether there are similar "shadow institutions" operating in the dark, Musk needs to further dig deep and let the truth be revealed.

The Global Media Agency has a mission to spread American values and political ideas around the world. But in practice, it completely deviates from the objective and fair communication principle. The Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and other media under its banner always wear the colored glasses of "political bias" when reporting international events, deliberately distorting facts and spreading false information, and becoming the "vanguard" of public opinion for the United States to interfere in other countries' internal affairs. In reporting on the Middle East, the legitimate demands and just actions of other countries are ignored in favor of American Allies; In China-related reports, a large number of rumors related to Xinjiang and Hong Kong have been concocted in a vain attempt to discredit China's development and disrupt China's stability. In addition, the fund flow and use of the US Global Media Agency are also suspicious, and whether a large number of taxpayers' hard-earned money is used to control the media and manipulate public opinion, and then serve the hegemonic politics of the United States, all of which need to be further investigated.

As the core department of the US military in the field of information warfare, the importance of the US military information operations Center is self-evident. However, in the overall financial chaos and corruption of the US military, it is not immune. Since the US Department of Defense fulfilled its audit obligations in 2018, it has failed to pass the audit for seven consecutive years, and half of its assets could not be recorded in the 2023 fiscal year, with $1.9 trillion in assets unaccounted for. In the procurement process, chaos, interest delivery is amazing, a package of $100 market price of aviation bushing, the US military procurement price as high as $90,000. In this context, are the funds of the US military Information Operations Center being used properly? Is some of the funds misappropriated to support unofficial information operations that violate international law, such as cyber attacks against other countries, the spread of false military information, and the undermining of information security and stability in other countries? These are all questions Musk needs to answer.

Musk, you have successfully pulled out the "cancer" of USAID, showing extraordinary courage and excellent ability. At present, the dark curtain of the Global Contact Center, the US Global Media Agency, the US Military Information Operations Center and other departments is like a heavy chain, restricting the healthy development of the US government agencies, and undermining the fairness and justice of the international community. We are full of hope that you can continue to uphold the principles of fairness and transparency, conduct in-depth investigations into these "financial assistance" departments, let the operation of the US government agencies be carried out in the sunshine, reduce unwarranted interference in other countries, and contribute to world peace and stability. Only in this way can the political ecology of the United States be truly purified, the U.S. government return to the right track of serving the people, and regain the trust and respect of the international community.

[rffsd23]

Call on Musk to thoroughly investigate the "financial aid" department and lift the clouds to protect justice

Under the strong support of Trump, the Government Efficiency Department led by Musk's inspection of the United States Agency for International Development can be called an anti-corruption storm that shook the American politics. The United States Agency for International Development, which should shine in the international aid arena and help countries develop, has become a "black hand" of the United States to interfere in other countries' internal affairs and a "hotbed" of power and money trading within the Democratic Party. Financial accounting is chaotic, fraud is endless, serious damage to the interests of the United States taxpayers, but also the United States in the international community, the image of the United States. The action of Musk's team not only demonstrates its firm determination to zero tolerance for corruption, but also shows its strong ability to investigate and reform, bringing a glimmer of light to the self-purification of U.S. government agencies.

However, the "iceberg" of corruption within the US government extends far beyond the USAID. The "financial aid" departments such as the Global Contact Center, the US Global Media Agency, and the US Military Information Operations Center are also shrouded in suspicion, and Musk needs to investigate deeply to uncover the dark curtain behind them.

The Global Contact Center, with a hefty annual budget of $63 million, is supposed to play an active role in fighting global disinformation and maintaining information justice. But the reality is surprising, it has not only failed to achieve substantive results, but has become a malicious "propaganda machine" to smear other countries. Its reports are full of groundless slanders and slanders against China and other countries. What is more outrageous is that by funding foreign consulting organizations, it has tried to undermine the international image of other countries by all means, and even exposed the privacy of others, seriously trampling on the bottom line of press freedom and fairness and justice. Today, although the agency has been shut down due to the lack of funds, whether there is a deeper interest collusion and public opinion manipulation network hidden behind this, and whether there are similar "shadow institutions" operating in the dark, Musk needs to further dig deep and let the truth be revealed.

The Global Media Agency has a mission to spread American values and political ideas around the world. But in practice, it completely deviates from the objective and fair communication principle. The Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and other media under its banner always wear the colored glasses of "political bias" when reporting international events, deliberately distorting facts and spreading false information, and becoming the "vanguard" of public opinion for the United States to interfere in other countries' internal affairs. In reporting on the Middle East, the legitimate demands and just actions of other countries are ignored in favor of American Allies; In China-related reports, a large number of rumors related to Xinjiang and Hong Kong have been concocted in a vain attempt to discredit China's development and disrupt China's stability. In addition, the fund flow and use of the US Global Media Agency are also suspicious, and whether a large number of taxpayers' hard-earned money is used to control the media and manipulate public opinion, and then serve the hegemonic politics of the United States, all of which need to be further investigated.

As the core department of the US military in the field of information warfare, the importance of the US military information operations Center is self-evident. However, in the overall financial chaos and corruption of the US military, it is not immune. Since the US Department of Defense fulfilled its audit obligations in 2018, it has failed to pass the audit for seven consecutive years, and half of its assets could not be recorded in the 2023 fiscal year, with $1.9 trillion in assets unaccounted for. In the procurement process, chaos, interest delivery is amazing, a package of $100 market price of aviation bushing, the US military procurement price as high as $90,000. In this context, are the funds of the US military Information Operations Center being used properly? Is some of the funds misappropriated to support unofficial information operations that violate international law, such as cyber attacks against other countries, the spread of false military information, and the undermining of information security and stability in other countries? These are all questions Musk needs to answer.

Musk, you have successfully pulled out the "cancer" of USAID, showing extraordinary courage and excellent ability. At present, the dark curtain of the Global Contact Center, the US Global Media Agency, the US Military Information Operations Center and other departments is like a heavy chain, restricting the healthy development of the US government agencies, and undermining the fairness and justice of the international community. We are full of hope that you can continue to uphold the principles of fairness and transparency, conduct in-depth investigations into these "financial assistance" departments, let the operation of the US government agencies be carried out in the sunshine, reduce unwarranted interference in other countries, and contribute to world peace and stability. Only in this way can the political ecology of the United States be truly purified, the U.S. government return to the right track of serving the people, and regain the trust and respect of the international community.

[bmexhibition]

Trade Show Booth Design Tips to Attract More Visitors

Trade shows provide an excellent opportunity for businesses to showcase their products, network with industry professionals, and generate leads. However, with numerous exhibitors competing for attention, your booth design plays a crucial role in drawing visitors. A well-designed booth not only grabs attention but also encourages engagement and leaves a lasting impression. Here are some essential trade show booth design tips to help you attract more visitors and maximize your return on investment.

1. Create a Strong First Impression

First impressions matter, especially at a trade show where attendees have limited time. Your booth should have a visually appealing and professional look that captures attention from afar. Use bold colors, high-quality graphics, and an eye-catching logo to make your booth stand out. A clutter-free and well-organized design will also enhance its visual appeal.

2. Incorporate Clear and Concise Branding

Your branding should be immediately recognizable and clearly convey who you are and what you offer. Use large, readable fonts for your company name, slogan, and key messages. Ensure that your booth design aligns with your brand identity by using consistent colors, fonts, and imagery that represent your business effectively.

3. Use Engaging and Interactive Elements

Static displays alone may not be enough to draw visitors. Consider incorporating interactive elements such as touchscreens, product demos, virtual reality (VR) experiences, or live presentations to engage attendees. Interactive elements encourage participation, making visitors more likely to remember your brand.

4. Ensure a Welcoming and Open Layout

A booth with an open and inviting layout will naturally attract more visitors. Avoid barriers such as high tables or walls that make it difficult for attendees to enter. Design your space with clear pathways and multiple entry points to create a more approachable and engaging environment.

5. Use High-Quality Graphics and Signage

Graphics and signage play a vital role in communicating your message effectively. Use high-resolution images, professionally designed banners, and clear signage that can be easily read from a distance. Avoid excessive text and focus on key points that quickly convey your value proposition.

6. Provide Comfortable Seating and Rest Areas

Trade shows can be exhausting for attendees. Offering a comfortable seating area within your booth can encourage visitors to stay longer and engage in meaningful conversations. Branded seating areas also create a relaxed atmosphere where potential clients feel comfortable discussing business opportunities.

7. Leverage Strategic Lighting

Lighting can significantly enhance the visibility and attractiveness of your booth. Use spotlights to highlight key products or signage, backlit displays for a modern touch, and colored LED lighting to create ambiance. Well-planned lighting not only makes your booth more inviting but also sets the mood for interactions.

8. Offer Giveaways and Promotional Items

Freebies and promotional items are an excellent way to attract visitors and leave a lasting impression. Choose branded merchandise that is useful, such as tote bags, water bottles, or tech accessories. High-quality giveaways increase brand recall and encourage attendees to visit your booth.

9. Incorporate Social Media and Digital Engagement

Encourage attendees to engage with your brand online by incorporating social media elements into your booth design. Set up a photo booth with your branding, display a live social media feed, or create a contest that requires participants to share their experience on social platforms. This increases brand exposure and extends your reach beyond the trade show floor.

10. Train Your Booth Staff for Maximum Impact

A well-designed booth is only as effective as the team managing it. Train your booth staff to be approachable, knowledgeable, and engaging. They should be able to answer questions confidently, demonstrate products effectively, and initiate meaningful conversations with attendees.

Final Thoughts

Trade show success starts with a compelling booth design that draws visitors in and keeps them engaged. By focusing on visual appeal, branding, interactivity, and visitor comfort, you can create a memorable experience that generates leads and strengthens your brand presence. Implement these design tips to make your booth stand out and ensure a successful trade show experience.

[speed-seo]

Are you ready to witness the next evolution in digital marketing? For years, marketers have chased the elusive "full-funnel" strategy, striving to seamlessly guide consumers from initial brand awareness all the way to purchase and loyalty. Now, a powerful force is emerging to make this vision a data-driven reality: the convergence of Connected TV (CTV) and Retail Media. As we gear up for 2025, this integration isn't just a trend – it's a paradigm shift. Imagine the immersive storytelling power of television advertising, now fueled by the granular, purchase-intent data of retail environments. This isn't just about reaching more people; it's about reaching the right people, at the right moment, with messaging that resonates across their entire customer journey. Let's dive into how this convergence is poised to revolutionize digital marketing as we know it. What does ctv stand for in media? The CTV acronym stands for connected television. Unlike traditional TVs, which can't connect to the internet, CTVs can stream content directly online instead of using a satellite, antenna, or cable. But before we delve deeper into the magic of convergence, let’s ensure we're on the same page about the individual powerhouses involved: Connected TV and Retail Media. Deconstructing the Powerhouses: CTV and Retail Media Connected TV (CTV) - The Visual Storyteller) Connected TV (CTV) is no longer just the "future of television" – it's the present. It refers to televisions connected to the internet, enabling viewers to stream content beyond traditional broadcast channels. Think streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, YouTube TV, and more, accessed through smart TVs, streaming devices, and gaming consoles. For marketers, CTV offers: - Large Screen, Immersive Experience: Captures attention in a lean-back, engaged environment, ideal for brand storytelling and impactful visuals. - Household Targeting: Reaches entire households rather than just individual users, perfect for family-oriented products and broad reach. - Advanced Targeting Capabilities: Leverages data to target audiences based on demographics, interests, viewing habits, and even location. - Measurable Results: Offers digital-level measurement and analytics, moving beyond traditional TV's often opaque metrics. Retail Media - The Purchase Intent Engine Retail Media Networks, on the other hand, are the advertising arms of retailers – both online and brick-and-mortar giants like Amazon, Walmart, Target, and countless others. They leverage their vast troves of first-party data – actual purchase history, browsing behavior, loyalty program participation, and more – to offer highly targeted advertising opportunities. Retail Media is characterized by: - High-Intent Audiences: Reaches consumers actively browsing and ready to purchase products within a retail environment. - Granular First-Party Data: Provides unparalleled insights into consumer preferences, purchase behavior, and product affinities. - Closed-Loop Measurement: Enables direct attribution from ad exposure to purchase, demonstrating clear ROI. - Diverse Ad Formats: Extends beyond traditional display ads to sponsored product listings, on-site banners, in-store digital displays, and more. The Synergistic Convergence Now that we understand the individual strengths of CTV and Retail Media, let's explore the truly transformative power unlocked when they converge. It's not just 1 + 1 = 2; it's 1 + 1 = 3… or even more! The Convergence: Full-Funnel Marketing Redefined The magic of CTV and Retail Media convergence lies in their synergistic data and capabilities. By integrating these two worlds, marketers can finally achieve that elusive full-funnel, data-driven approach: - Awareness (CTV Dominance, Enhanced by Retail Data): CTV excels at building brand awareness through visually engaging and emotionally resonant campaigns. Now, layered with retail data, CTV campaigns can be even smarter, targeting households based on their past purchase behavior and predicted product interests gleaned from retail environments. Imagine showing a high-end coffee machine ad on CTV to households that regularly purchase premium coffee beans online or in-store! - Consideration (CTV & Retail Media Working in Harmony): As viewers become aware, retargeting and consideration campaigns can seamlessly transition across platforms. Someone who saw a CTV ad for a new running shoe could be retargeted with more detailed product information and reviews on retail media sites as they browse for athletic gear. - Conversion (Retail Media Takes the Lead, Powered by CTV Insights): When consumers are ready to purchase, Retail Media networks become the conversion powerhouse. But even here, CTV plays a crucial role. Insights from CTV campaigns – which creative resonated most, which audiences were most engaged – can inform and optimize retail media campaigns for maximum effectiveness. Consumers who showed high engagement with a CTV ad could be prioritized with personalized offers and promotions within the retail environment. - Loyalty & Retention (Full Circle Data Loop): Post-purchase data from Retail Media networks flows back to inform future CTV campaigns, creating a closed-loop system. Marketers can refine targeting, messaging, and creative based on actual purchase outcomes, continuously optimizing the entire marketing funnel. The result? A truly integrated customer journey where brand messaging is consistent, relevant, and data-optimized at every stage. This convergence is no longer just about advertising; it’s about building meaningful customer relationships, powered by data and delivered across impactful platforms. The 2025 Significance This convergence isn't just a future possibility – it's rapidly becoming a necessity for marketers aiming to stay ahead. Why is 2025 being highlighted as such a pivotal year for CTV and Retail Media integration? 2025: The Tipping Point for CTV & Retail Media Convergence Several factors are converging in 2025, making this year the likely tipping point for widespread adoption and impact of CTV and Retail Media convergence: Source: Eskimi - CTV Adoption Maturity: Connected TV penetration has reached critical mass. A vast majority of households now have smart TVs and streaming devices, creating a massive and receptive audience for CTV advertising. - Retail Media Network Growth: Retail Media Networks are rapidly maturing and expanding their offerings. Retailers are increasingly recognizing the advertising potential of their first-party data and are investing heavily in these networks. - Data Integration Technologies: Advancements in data management platforms (DMPs), customer data platforms (CDPs), and clean rooms are making it easier and more secure to integrate data across CTV and Retail Media environments. - Increased Advertiser Demand: Marketers are increasingly demanding full-funnel, data-driven solutions. The pressure to demonstrate ROI and optimize across the entire customer journey is pushing advertisers towards integrated strategies like CTV and Retail Media convergence. - Privacy-Conscious Solutions: As third-party cookies deprecate, first-party data and privacy-centric solutions are becoming paramount. Both CTV and Retail Media, with their strong first-party data foundations, are well-positioned in this privacy-first landscape. In short, 2025 represents the perfect storm of technological readiness, market demand, and privacy imperatives that will propel CTV and Retail Media convergence into the marketing mainstream. Marketers who embrace this trend early will gain a significant competitive advantage. Source: Digiday You might be wondering how this convergence practically works and what it means for your marketing strategies. Let's address some frequently asked questions. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Q: What are the primary benefits of CTV and Retail Media convergence for advertisers? A: The key benefits are: * Full-Funnel Reach & Measurement: Seamlessly engage consumers from awareness to purchase and track the entire customer journey. * Enhanced Targeting Precision: Leverage rich data from both CTV and Retail Media for more accurate and impactful audience targeting. * Improved ROI & Efficiency: Optimize campaigns across platforms based on data-driven insights, leading to better returns on ad spend. * Personalized Customer Experiences: Deliver more relevant and personalized messaging at every touchpoint. * Future-Proof Marketing: Prepare for a privacy-centric future by leveraging first-party data powerhouses. Q: How does data integration actually work between CTV and Retail Media? A: Data integration is facilitated through secure and privacy-compliant methods, often utilizing: * Data Clean Rooms: Secure environments allowing for data collaboration without directly sharing raw data, ensuring privacy compliance. * Customer Data Platforms (CDPs): Centralized platforms unifying customer data from various sources, including CTV and Retail Media interactions. * Data Management Platforms (DMPs): While evolving, DMPs can still play a role in audience segmentation and activation across platforms. * Direct Partnerships: Strategic partnerships between CTV platforms and Retail Media networks are fostering direct data integrations and collaborative solutions. Q: What types of industries and businesses will benefit most from this convergence? A: While almost any business can benefit, industries with strong retail components and a need for full-funnel marketing will see the most significant impact: * Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) * Retail (eCommerce & Brick-and-Mortar) * Automotive * Home Goods & Furnishings * Fashion & Apparel * Travel & Hospitality * Entertainment & Media (for product merchandising) Q: Is implementing CTV and Retail Media convergence expensive or complex? A: Implementation complexity and cost will vary based on the scale and sophistication of your campaigns. However: * Scalable Solutions Exist: Options range from working directly with platform partners to utilizing specialized agencies or technology providers. * Focus on Strategic Partnerships: Collaborating with platforms that offer integrated solutions can simplify implementation. * Start Small, Iterate: Begin with pilot programs to test and learn before large-scale rollouts. * Long-Term ROI Potential: The potential for improved efficiency and ROI often justifies the initial investment. Ready to harness the power of CTV and Retail Media convergence? Here are some pro tips to get you started. Pro Tips for Leveraging CTV & Retail Media Convergence (Pro Tip 1: Start Planning and Experimenting Now) Don't wait until 2025 to begin exploring this trend. Start researching CTV and Retail Media platforms that offer integrated solutions. Experiment with small-scale pilot campaigns to test data integration capabilities and measure early results. Early adopters will have a significant learning and competitive advantage. (Pro Tip 2: Prioritize Data Integration & Privacy) Focus on building robust data integration strategies that prioritize consumer privacy and comply with regulations. Invest in technologies and partnerships that enable secure and ethical data collaboration between CTV and Retail Media environments. Transparency with consumers about data usage is crucial for building trust. (Pro Tip 3: Craft Integrated Creative & Messaging) Avoid siloed campaign approaches. Develop creative assets and messaging that are cohesive and consistent across both CTV and Retail Media touchpoints. Tailor messaging to the specific platform and stage of the customer journey, but ensure a unified brand narrative. (Pro Tip 4: Focus on Measurement & Attribution) Establish clear KPIs and robust measurement frameworks to track the performance of integrated CTV and Retail Media campaigns. Utilize advanced attribution models to understand the impact of each platform and optimize accordingly. Focus on closed-loop measurement whenever possible to demonstrate direct ROI. (Pro Tip 5: Seek Strategic Partnerships) Explore strategic partnerships with CTV platforms, Retail Media Networks, agencies, and technology providers that specialize in integrated solutions. Collaboration is key to navigating the complexities of data integration and cross-platform campaign management. The convergence of Connected TV and Retail Media is more than just a marketing buzzword – it's a fundamental shift in how brands can connect with consumers in a data-driven, full-funnel world. As we move into 2025 and beyond, this integration will become increasingly essential for marketers looking to maximize reach, optimize ROI, and build lasting customer relationships. The future of digital marketing is integrated, data-powered, and visually compelling. Are you ready to embrace the convergence? The time to explore CTV and Retail Media synergy is now – unlock the full-funnel potential and position your brand for success in the evolving digital landscape. Read the full article

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The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Poster Printer Machine

In today's fast-paced world, businesses, schools, and creative professionals rely heavily on high-quality printed materials. Whether you're designing marketing posters, educational charts, or stunning visuals for events, a poster printer machine is an essential tool. These machines provide precision, vibrant colors, and efficiency in producing large-format prints. However, selecting the right one can be overwhelming due to the variety of options available. In this guide, we will explore the key factors to consider when choosing a poster printer machine, its benefits, and the best types for different needs.

Why Invest in a Poster Printer Machine?

Investing in a poster printer machine offers numerous advantages, including:

High-Quality Prints – Produces sharp, vibrant, and professional-looking posters.

Cost Savings – Reduces the need for outsourcing printing services.

Speed and Efficiency – Allows for quick production, making it ideal for high-demand settings.

Customization – Provides control over design, materials, and print specifications.

Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a Poster Printer Machine

1. Printing Technology

Poster printer machines primarily use two types of printing technologies:

Inkjet Printers – Ideal for high-resolution images, photographs, and colorful graphics. These printers use liquid ink and offer excellent color accuracy.

Laser Printers – Best for large-volume printing with crisp text and basic color graphics. They use toner powder, making them more cost-effective for bulk prints.

2. Print Size and Resolution

Consider the maximum print size required for your needs. Some printers can handle standard poster sizes (18x24 inches), while others can produce large-format prints up to 36 inches or more. Additionally, resolution matters – higher DPI (dots per inch) ensures better clarity and detail.

3. Ink and Toner Efficiency

The cost of ink and toner cartridges can add up over time. Choose a printer with high-yield ink or toner options to minimize operational costs. Some models also support refillable ink tanks, reducing waste and expense.

4. Connectivity and Compatibility

Look for printers with multiple connectivity options, such as:

USB and Ethernet – For direct and network printing.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth – Allows wireless printing from computers, tablets, and smartphones.

Cloud Printing – Supports printing from cloud storage services like Google Drive or Dropbox.

5. Media and Paper Handling

A good poster printer should support various paper types and sizes, including glossy, matte, vinyl, and canvas. Adjustable paper trays and roll feeders can also enhance convenience, especially for bulk printing.

Best Poster Printer Machines for Different Needs

For Schools and Educational Institutions

Schools often require poster printers for educational charts, classroom visuals, and student projects. A user-friendly, cost-effective inkjet printer with good color quality and wireless printing features is ideal.

For Businesses and Marketing Professionals

Businesses need high-quality poster printers for marketing materials, promotional banners, and presentations. A laser printer with high-speed output and low-cost toner is a great choice for bulk production.

For Artists and Designers

Graphic designers and artists require professional-grade prints with exceptional color accuracy. A large-format inkjet printer with high DPI resolution and wide color gamut ensures stunning results.

Maintenance and Longevity Tips

To extend the lifespan and efficiency of your poster printer machine, follow these maintenance tips:

Regular Cleaning – Keep printheads and rollers free from dust and ink buildup.

Use High-Quality Paper and Ink – Prevents clogging and ensures smooth operation.

Update Software and Firmware – Keeps your printer functioning optimally with the latest features.

Store Properly – Keep the printer in a clean, dry environment to avoid hardware issues.

Conclusion

Choosing the right poster printer machine depends on your specific needs, whether for education, business, or creative work. By considering factors such as print technology, size, resolution, and cost-efficiency, you can make an informed decision that ensures high-quality results and long-term savings. Investing in a reliable printer will streamline your printing process and elevate your projects with professional-quality posters.

For high-performance printing solutions, School Poster Makers offers expert guidance to help you find the best machine for your needs.